


we were together- I forget the rest

by MiloMelo, newmannenby



Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: 18k, 1950s AU, 1950s Slang, 19k, Ableist Language, Alternate Universe - 1950s, F/M, First Kiss, Greaser AU, Greaser Newt, Highschool AU, Homophobic Language, Internalised Homophobia, LOTS of references to popular music and literature of that time, Literary References & Allusions, M/M, Mentions of alcohol, Romance, Stargazing, Sweet Sweet Fluff, Wordcount: Over 10.000, domestic abuse, i did my hw, mild depictions of violence, multi-chapter, romantic but also Romantic, sweet lidol hermoso, theyre like 16 guys so i aint writing nsfw this time, tumblr: newmannenby, tumblr: vitamine-dude, use of f slur in chapter 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-10
Updated: 2019-09-14
Packaged: 2020-05-20 07:48:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 21,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19372372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiloMelo/pseuds/MiloMelo, https://archiveofourown.org/users/newmannenby/pseuds/newmannenby
Summary: As of late, Newt's been having a hard time keeping up with school work and resorts to desperate measures. Yep, he asks the school's nerd for help. What happens next is history.(full quote of title: " Day by day and night by night we were together- all else has long been forgotten by me"-Once I Passed Through a Populous City- Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass )





	1. A Dubious Deal

 

 

_Massachusetts, USA, in the Spring of 1952_

 

From his window seat on the second storey, he could see the far off trees weaving between low level buildings which had just begun to regrow their leaves. They were only small but were perfectly verdant. Winter’s chills were beginning to dissipate,and his journeys to school were becoming sunnier. No-one liked the bitter cold wind stinging your face while riding a motorcycle at high speeds. Especially Newton Geiszler. 

 

This was their last year of high school and every minute counted; a tense silence haunted every class they entered. Newt wasn’t really one to keep track, but he knew the exams would be around the corner before he knew it.

 

Newt fidgeted with a chewed-on pencil until he heard his name read out.

 

Mrs Sails (his maths teacher) stopped by his desk. She pursed her wrinkled thin lips while her pungent perfume offended Newt’s nostrils.

 

 "Geiszler: could've done better- as always- but you are still too lazy to make anything worth your time." 

  
Newt's friends chuckled behind him. As he turned to face them, he pushed up his glasses with his middle finger ostensibly. 

  
"I wouldn't laugh if I were you, Mister Beckett, because on the contrary to Mister Geiszler here, you don't even _listen_ to what I say." 

Raleigh shrunk back in his chair.

 

 "Your brother was one of our most talented students,” she sighed. “I wouldn't say that you are a disappointment, but you certainly are a shame." 

  
_________

 

  
"That teacher is _such_ an asshole!" Newt yelled, surely in earshot as they left class."She doesn't have the right to say that!" he walked backwards to look at Raleigh who only shrugged and adjusted the strap on his bag.

 

"It's fine, honestly. What can I do about it anyway?" 

 

Mako,who had been silently watching, hesitated for a moment before holding his hand and rubbing her thumb over the back of it. He responded with a thankful look. Newt giggled (they were so cute, honestly) but the air was knocked out from him when he bumped into some guy.

 

Except it wasn’t just some guy. It was Hermann Gottlieb, shooting him a deadly glare.

A large brown leather messenger bag was strung across his shoulders,and a multitude of books were tucked under his arms.

“Sorry Hermann,” he muttered as the disgruntled teen walked away. Not that he cared if he heard anyway.

 He knew Hermann for a lot of things,but mostly for his original(or as some would say, “dated”) look. If you were to raid your grandfather’s closet and fit it to the measurements of a lanky teenage boy, you would have Hermann’s everyday outfit. 

They came from the same pond but just a completely different school of fish. Well, that’s if Hermann even had his own species.

  
"What did you get on that test, anyway?" Tendo asked as they were grabbing food from the hot meals section.

   
Newt took a tray."I don't remember but, uh, it wasn’t awesome. I'm good with Biology and manual stuff but it's just the abstractness of Maths and Physics- I'm shit at it.”

  
Tendo nodded. "Yeah, well maybe Mrs Sails _is_ right about this," he suggested, scooping a pile of cheesy pasta onto his plate."I know that you're good and lessons can suffice you but like, you've been proven wrong. You need to study, man." 

  
They found a table at the far corner of the canteen. The touch of his arms against the table was boiling hot; besides them, sunlight beamed through the long vertical window.

"Yeah but you heard her: I'm lazy. I don't really have time to work, between my uncle's garage and my own free time. I can’t always be working my ass off. Mrs Sails can go show herself out if she thinks I'm getting an A anytime soon." 

  
"Still, think about it Newt. You need even grades, not the best ones. Plus, you won't have to be  -y’know- a work machine for the rest of your life. You're almost passing without studying: if you just did a bit now and then, you'd be fine." 

 

Newt hummed vaguely in agreement while picking out the mushrooms from his dish -he hadn't really looked at what he’d picked up.

  
_________

 

  
By some miracle of God, Thursday’s Physics lesson mostly revolved around recapping forces and relevant calculations. Easy as pie.

 

Tendo shifted closer to Newt and whispered, "Hey man, I was thinking... You know that guy, Hermann Gottlieb? He's super smart and he’s always gets the best grades n’ all. You should ask him to help you." 

  
" _What?_ "

  
"Mr Geiszler, care to explain what is _so_ outrageous to you that you felt the sudden need to disturb my class?" 

  
Some people giggled.The teacher looked them dead in the eyes, and the laughter stopped. 

  
"Mister Gottlieb, I-"

  
"And if I may add, Physics is not your strong suit, so I suggest that you pay attention to what I’m saying. And it's _Dr._ Gottlieb to you." 

  
Newt bit his lip. If his son was anything like _him_ , he wouldn't stand a single hour within his company.

  
"No way," he whispered back to Tendo as soon as the teacher turned his back. "That's a strong pass from me, dude."

  
"Mister Geiszler, next time it'll be the door you're chatting with."

 

Infuriated, Newt refused to do anymore work.Instead, he glared at Hermann to finalise his decision: there was no way in Hell he would have Hermann tutor him. On the desk in front of Dr Gottlieb's, he was scribbling and scratching away at his paper to find the answers. Every so often, he would push up his large glasses that slid down the bridge of his nose, which would twitch it like a rabbit. He had made no reaction when he had heard his father shouting at Newt. Like a true nerd, he had been enveloped in the lengthy equations. Once he had finished the work on the blackboard, he twirled his pencil in between his fingers,then alternated hands. Then, to Newt's surprise, he looked straight at him. He gulped. He couldn't have been that obvious, surely? But he realised Hermann was looking _through_ him. Following his gaze, he was looking at his father at the back of the room, breathing down the neck of some poor kid. Newt looked back at the nerd again, and this time he had a piece of paper propped up on his knees, using a protractor to draw something or other ( it was probably some extra maths thing). Leaning back, Newt had to suppress a yawn. 

  
After Physics, it was time to go home. The long corridors  were lined with bright yellow lockers, where some had been vandalised deliberately by their owners. On Newt’s, doodles were made in a thick black marker, which depicted little sea creatures, guitars, and lyrics of whatever songs he had on repeat in his head. There was a chorus of chatter and slamming of lockers echoing around him.

 

"Really man, you should consider it.” Tendo nudged him as they were packing up to from their lockers leave. Newt followed Tendo’s head-tilt to the far left of the lockers, where Hermann was stuffing his bag.

  
"Oh my God dude. Do you ever stop? Jeez..." Newt huffed, blowing out his cheeks. "I’m not gonna ask him for help; I'll handle this by myself, alright?"

  
"Your call, man, your call," Tendo replied as he followed Newt to the parking lot.

 

_________

 

  
"Three point nine," Gottlieb read aloud. He had a tradition of reading out the lowest score when handed back tests.

  
Tendo winced and Newt kicked his foot under the table. He snatched the test back, his jawset in place. This was one of those moments that, if Newton had superpowers, he would've set the stupid paper on fire with his mind. Unfortunately, that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon, no matter how hard he stared.

  
"This is the lowest you've ever gotten. I hope you haven't completely lost your already fleeting motivation."

  
Newt sighed and said through gritted teeth, "No Sir, I was distracted." 

  
"By what, may I ask?" 

  
The opportunity was too good. He couldn't miss it. Tendo shook his head and mouthing a “No” to him. Newt smiled brightly, and with a shit eating grin, he pointed a finger at the man and said, "That, my good Sir, is absolutely none of your fucking business."

 

  
_________

 

  
"...And remember Geiszler, Dr Gottlieb is a very respectable man with the highest academic qualification anyone can achieve. If he reports another incident about you, your parents will hear about it, believe me."

  
Newt nodded. This was only protocol. He knew what they were going to say and expect from him. He’d lost count of the amount of times that he’d been dragged into here on account of his “inappropriate clothing” and “rebellious demeanour”. Between you and me, Newt wouldn’t say boo to a goose, never mind getting up to whatever adults thought he did at night. Still, he wasn’t going to let some idiots bully him into becoming some square (for reference, if you were to look that word up in the Webster’s Dictionary, you’d see Hermann’s yearbook photo).

  
"What are you still doing here? Off you go!" he said, making a rude dismissive gesture.

 

The door shut behind him. Outside, the gang was waiting. A huge smile grew on Newt's face as they all burst into laughter, and made their way down the hall. 

  
_________

 

  
Newt glanced at Tendo who gave him the thumbs up a few feet away, in the bustling corridor filled with students ready to go home; He would rather be heading off too.

  
Whilst approaching Hermann, Newt ran his fingers through his hair and adjusted the collar on his oversized leather jacket. He tried to lean casually against the lockers and adjusted his face into a smile that hopefully expressed: “I don’t want to talk to you as much as you do, so please forget I ever existed after this”.

  
"Um, hi, man." 

  
_Oh God. This was a mistake._

 

Hermann slammed his locker door. He squinted at Newt in his round black glasses, as if Newt was some sort of transparent apparition. To Newt’s horror, his short black hair was severely parted upon closer inspection, and a cowlick stood up persistently at the back of his head.

  
"What do you want? A cheat sheet for the next Physics paper or my lunch money? I can't seem to tell." Hermann pursed his lips and raised a quizzical eyebrow.

 

Newt immediately wanted to leave. He tried to laugh it off and plastered a queasy smile onto his face (the best he could summon at that moment in time). "Um, no. Nope to all of that, actually. Actually, I'm here to ask you if uh, you could help me," he explained, gesturing while his other hand was stuffed inside his pockets.

 

Hermann leaned back against the lockers and rested his cane there too. He was still wearing that judgemental expression on his face.

  
"Help with what exactly?... If you're asking me to put you in my father's good books, don't think that rubbing shoulders with me will do much. You will have to improve your grades, first and foremost."

  
He glanced at his brown leather wristwatch and suppressed a groan. Seeing this, Newt face’s flickered with anger.

  
"Yeah no," Newt replied deadpan."I don't want your dad’s approval. I just want to know if you can help me with my Physics." Newt took a few steps back and waved awkwardly. "Anyway, I’m not gonna hold you back any longer dude. Surely you've got some _much_ more important nerd stuff to be doing, like going to the library,” he said with a smirk.

 

"At least I'm the one getting consistent grades, Newton. You can't rely on your own natural abilities in Biology and Chemistry, and whatever else you believe you’re so brilliant at, to get you through life."

  
Hermann knew Newt was good. It wasn't exactly public knowledge, but he could tell by the way Mrs Pendleton smiled knowingly at him when giving back Biology test papers, or how Newt would ramble excitedly about some new found species of octopus in class.

Above all, his interests were focused on what he could gain.To say that he had tutored another student (and possibly get to stay longer after school) would look quite impressive on a CV... but for Newton Geiszler? The kid who wore more hair product than most students combined? The boy who had dirt and grease marks all over his jeans from his uncle's motorcycle repair shop?

To Hermann, it felt like trying to push in a jigsaw piece from a different set into a picture that was almost complete.

  
"How much are you willing to pay for my time?"

 

Newt,who was in the middle of leaving, turned on his feet. "Hm? Oh, I didn't think about that, actually," he scratched his stubble. (It had only just started to grow through and it was itchy _as Hell_ ). "Not that I wasn't going to pay you! But I just… didn't think I’d get this far."

 

Hermann looked at his watch again and huffed.

  
"You don't need to if you don't want to, man, okay? Actually, this was a dumb idea. You don't wanna spend time with me and neither do I so let's just… forget about this.”

 

"Wait!” Hermann had to call out as Newt was trying to leave again. “I'll tutor you. Just once a week, only an hour, for $10."

 

Newt crossed his arms. "Okay. When?" 

  
The halls were emptying but he knew that somewhere in the distance, Tendo was spying on them. 

  
"Because I'm free uh, pretty much everyday after school? I’m usually helping my uncle out but I’m sure he won’t mind me sticking behind for something that’s not detention."

 

Rifling through his school bag, Hermann pulled out a small black leather bound diary. He grabbed out a pen from his well decorated blazer top pocket (which contained several assorted pens , lined up in green, red, black and blue) from his top pocket and scanned through his schedule.

"Well, Wednesdays are the quietest day in the library... would that work for you?"

 

"Yeah, I'll make the time,” Newt shrugged. "Alright then!" He clapped his hands together. "I'm gonna go now, my guy’s waiting for me somewhere-" at which Tendo came out from his hiding place and smiled at them- "And uh... see you around I guess?" he finger-gunned him before  joining Tendo on their way to the car park.

 

"Alright I did it. Happy now?" Newt shook Tendo a bit as he asked through gritted teeth -but a smile was still there.

  
"I dunno, are you? You're not doing this for me, man, this is for _your_ benefit," Tendo reminded him.

  
Newt let go of him as they met Raleigh and Mako in the parking lot; Only a small part was vacated for student vehicles, as most kids couldn’t really afford to own one. Luckily for Newt and his friends, they could either borrow once from parents during the day, or their own glorified hunk of metal, like Newt’s old rusty motorcycle. She was rather old, and had had quite a few repairs done to her over the years, yet her engine ran perfectly.

 

Like most evenings, they all decided to go back to Newt’s place. In the garage, they kept Uncle Ilia company while passing around snacks and drinks. As he watched them all talk, a small part of him wanted to bring up his meeting with Hermann- but it felt wrong in a way. It was something that only involved the two of them. They didn’t need to be concerned about his current state of education. Instead, those words stewed in the pit of his stomach.


	2. Newton Bloody Geiszler

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tensions are rising and Hermann manages to get even sassier. Don't ask me how.

 

Only a few minutes of English remained when their teacher Mr Washall had found it imperative to talk to them, raising his palm to silence them.

"Remember folks, your final exams are coming up soon. I know it's tempting to stay out all night—” he chuckled and then added in aside—“I know I did- but you kids have got a bright future ahead of you. Try not to waste it on some troublesome nobodies. Get your head in a good book, and you'll be just fine. Class dismissed!" He waved them off before resigning behind his desk, grumbling to himself about the piles of assignments to be marked. He pushed up his thick black-rimmed glasses and groaned indignantly.

He lifted his head and noticed that someone had stayed behind.  


  
"You alright, Hermann?" He asked, concerned. Hermann made his way over to his desk and thumped his bag onto it.

  
"Yes, thank you. I was just hoping to return this book to you. I finished it off last night and- I,I was wondering if you had any more of his works?"

  
Hermann took out a Walt Whitman poetry anthology; its brown leather exterior was faded by sunlight and was flaking in parts, and inside the pages were dogeared and freckled with droplets of coffee stains. 

  
The teacher beamed. "Of course I do, what sort of fool do you take me for?" He took the book and turned it over in his hands. He gently ran his fingers down the gold-lettered spine, before sliding it into his drawer. He withdrew another copy (Leaves of Grass, just as worn) and plopped it into Hermann's eager hands.  
"This one is by far my most favourite. Well, really they’re all my favourites. I hope you enjoy it.”

 

"Of course, Sir.” He stuffed the book into his bag so it lay flat and was concealed under everything else. Saying goodbye, Hermann slung the bag over his shoulder and made his way to the library.

 

_________

  


Newt had decided that he would give it a shot (and boy, it better be worth it, because ten dollars isn’t something to be sniffed at). If it didn't play out, then well... Mr Gottlieb was usually free at lunch-times and he could go then- no, Newt must have been kidding himself if he thought that _that_ was a viable option.

 

When he entered, Mrs Fennel (the school’s long-standing librarian) shot him a glare over her green horn-rimmed glasses. In many student’s eyes, the library was nothing special; paint was peeling and flaking at the corners of the ceiling, the posters pinned to the walls were at _least_ twenty years old, and the dust gathered on some of the books was enough to trigger an asthma attack. However, it was the only place in school open to students after hours, so it would have to do.

Hermann was there, sitting at one of the large four-seater tables, whilst reading from a large book. Newt dropped his bag onto the table as he sat on a chair opposite Hermann.

  
"Hey dude, am I late?" Newt whispered, leaning across.

 

"Only by a couple of minutes, but who's keeping count?” He closed the book with a snap and proceeded to take out volumes of books. “I assumed you didn't own any revision material, so I brought whatever I thought was necessary. So, where would you like to begin?”

 

"Uhm, honestly, I abandoned all hope since the beginning of this year. So if we could just go back to look over everything quickly?" Newt asked in a pleading voice. He rifled through his pockets and found a black pen (it didn’t explode in his jeans-score!).

"Oh wonderful!" Hermann exclaimed in mock delight. "You've made this _exceptionally_ easy for me, haven't you?" 

 

Reaching into his bag once again, he gingerly pulled out some multiple choice tests. "Thankfully, I brought some of these too. Given your track record of negligence, I prepared for even the worst. These will assess where you're at. Fill these in then tell me when you’re done."  And with that, Hermann went back to reading.

 

Newt deadpanned. He discreetly sucked his teeth, then grabbed the papers. His pen hovered above as he read the first question.

 

When he had done all he could, Newt poked Hermann's shoulder, which caused him to flinch. He scowled.

  
"I'm done, man."

  
He reluctantly closed his book then grabbed the test papers to tally the marks up. The jittering of Newt's leg kept wobbling the table and the sound of him chewing his nails - _how disgusting can he be, for Goodness sake_ \- was all rather distracting for him.

  
"You got between 30-40% on both. I shouldn't be surprised, but frankly that is rather disappointing." 

 

Newt opened his mouth, ready to retort, but Hermann began to talk again. "However, I have identified your areas of weakness, which is frankly too many to go through in one session. Personally, I'd say you need to start on memorising formulas, then lead on to electro-magnetic waves… Newton?"

  
_For god's sake, he looks half-asleep_.

 

At the sound of his name, Newt quickly sat up. "Yeah?.. Sounds about right. I'm in." 

 

The clock regretted to tell him it was only half past three. Another twenty minutes or so and _finally,_ Newt could go. Opening up a Physics book, Hermann found a sheet of essential formulae at the back. "Glance at those for a moment and try to remember a handful."

 

Newt did so while toying with his bottom lip. He read them over and over until he slid the book back over to Hermann, whose pen was poised to tick or cross them as they ran through them. He seemed to stumble through most of them. Then, Hermann added up his score.

 

"Six out of twelve.. not bad, to be fair." He scrawled down the ones he had gotten wrong and passed it to him. "If you can go over these for the next week or so, it will help them stick in your mind. Try and aim for at least ten correct." Hermann then took out some practise questions relating to his struggling topics."And these will help you retain what you already know."

 

Newt took it and groaned. "I get work from you now? Along with the homework I already have? Man, this is a bummer." His eyes lingered on the clock; the session was almost up. "Do I really have to? I think the time I've spent here is enough."

 

Hermann resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Do you even listen in class? My father has stated _multiple_ times this past semester that if you want to improve your grades, continuous work has to be performed outside of school hours; it's the most effective way to-”

 

“Okay, okay- jeez! Don’t get your tighty-whiteys in a twist,” He huffed and gave in.”I’ll do it.”

 

Hermann glanced at the clock then held out his hand. "The money, if you please."

  
Whilst muttering to himself, Newt rummaged the inside of his jacket pocket for some change, then poured the coins into Hermann's hand. “Alright, but I should be paying less if I have to work even more..."

 

"This is for your benefit, Newton. It makes no difference to me if you do it, but surely you'd prefer to get your money's worth?" 

 

From the window, Hermann could see the sun was still shining brightly. It would be a few more hours before it would begin to mellow.

  
"You're dismissed, Geiszler."

 

Newt squinted at him and scowled, and then he got up without saying goodbye. 

  
"What an asshole," he groaned once said asshole was out of ear-shot, which earned him a weird look from a girl in the History aisle. 

  
Newt shot her one of his ‘hi-I'm-a-cool-dude’ smiles and winked before leaving.

  
Outside, Tendo was leafing through a comic, but folded it away when he saw Newt approaching.

  
"Dude, don't tell me you've been waiting there for me all this time.”

  
"Pff nah man, I don't like you _that much_. I was just hanging out with my girl but her dad just picked her up so thought I should check up on you. How did it go?" He began to follow Newt down the stairs.

  
"Well, uh, for starters, I don't like him."

  
"You don't? How surprising." 

  
"Yeah, I know right? He's kind of an asshole, a real wet rag; he looks at me like I’m grody dog-muck or like I’m from the Moon, I just-"

  
"You're kinda dumb though."

  
Newt turned his head abruptly to Tendo, mock offense spread across his face.

  
"Ouch! That really hurt!" 

  
They laughed together, bumping shoulders as they entered the parking lot.  
"No, but really,” he began in all seriousness, “he’s just as bad as his dad, and I'm trying to get with it. You wanna know what he said to me at the end? "You're dismissed”— that _bastard!_ "

  
Tendo snorted. "Well, did it help at least?" he said, as they finally reached their rides.

  
Newt thought for a moment. "Yeah...yeah, I guess it has. Anyway, see you tomorrow dude." 

  
"See ya!" Tendo waved him goodbye as he drove off, leaving Newt chuckling to himself.

 

_This could be interesting._

 

_________

  


"Comment dit-on lesson en français? Oui, Hermann?"

  
"Matière ou leçon." 

  
It was more his father's idea to get him to learn a third language. Personally, he would rather have extra Maths lessons. Or maybe English. The preference changed depending on the day. 

 

However, that’s besides the point. His mind kept wandering back to last Wednesday. They had met again in the library and it had actually went rather well... for a bit: Newt had done some practise tests, which went even worse than last time (if you could believe it),and at some point they almost threw hands. To Hermann’s dismay, they got thoroughly scolded by the librarian. Newt’s general attitude, personality and looks were infuriating. He was the odd one out in the library, being the only one wearing all that rebellious garb- slicked back hair, leather jacket, tight denim jeans- just horrendous! But despite all of this, he still held onto the thread of hope that they could get somewhere. Hermann’s frown of concentration eased as the bell rang.

 

As always the cafeteria was crowded, students packed around the tables in a general messy chaos. Hermann preferred to scuttle off to the library to read instead, while nibbling at a sandwich.

  
Nevertheless, it was quite a change to his routine to see Newton Bloody Geiszler at his usual table.

 

Newt had met the girl he’d saw in the library again. You know, the one he’d sent that charming smile to? They’d chatted for a while after he and Hermann had fought last week, and had decided to eat lunch together at the library. It was practically a date. Newt was all but bouncing off the walls from the day before. Raleigh had elbowed him in the ribs and told him not to screw it up—and for some reason, Tendo seemed confused and not in the least bit excited as Newt was.

  
Anyway, they were chatting about Biology, specifically the complexity of the human brain; it was something that they shared a very keen interest on. Newt was having a great time so far. She had come to school wearing this large puffy skirt and blouse and a pair of All -Stars ( _steal my heart, why don’t you?_ ). She seemed a bit of an old school gal, but he didn’t really mind.

  
Alice put a hand on his, albeit waving it about a bit too comically when explaining something, when her stream of sentences came to a halt.

  
That's when Hermann had come in.

 

"Hello Alice. Seems as though you're slowly progressing up the food chain- oh hi Newton, I didn't expect to see you here.”

Before they could protest, he plopped his things down and pulled a seat to the head of the table.

  
Okay, so quick backstory: Hermann and Alice had dated for a week and a half back in 8th grade. He isn't quite sure how it came about, but he didn't have much time to question it by how quickly it had ended. The two had naturally drifted apart over the years. Ever since then, Alice had taken it upon herself to date her way into the popular crowd, and now it seemed she had taken a shining to Newt.

  
"How's the revision going, Newton? I expect that you've been taking it in stride." He flashed him a smile before starting on his sandwich.

 

Newt's fists were clenched under the table as he glared at Hermann. A quick glance at Alice confirmed that she wasn’t happy with this situation either. While drumming his fingers on the table, he smirked in annoyance.

  
"Okay, first of all, how do you know her?" he shook his head in disbelief at Alice. “The food chain”? I mean, what's his deal? Am I right?" He then turned back to Hermann, fortunately missing Alice's expression of relief. "Secondly, what do you think you're doing exactly?”

 

"I'm simply sitting at my table, having lunch with my friends, that's all. There's no need to put on a façade for Alice here; she's quite intuitive, once you get to know her. But then again, that depends on whether she sees someone with more of an athletic build or better reputation by next week. A better use of your time would be put towards studying, instead of fooling about with girls." He flashed the same wolfish grin.

 

"You have no right to tell me what to do. You’re just a nerd. Better yet,you’re a _nobody_.. I'm gonna hang out with whoever I want wherever I want...and your table? Your friends?" Newt scoffed. "Um dude, this is the library. Tables aren't reserved to anyone. You might be friends with Alice-" she shook her head vigorously-"Ah well then, that's too bad because you’re certainly not friends with me!" 

  
Somebody shushed Newt in the distance so he lowered his tone and leaned in towards Hermann. "I’ll clue you in on something, buddy. You don't have any friends because you don't want them. Get with it: you're too full of yourself, too busy putting yourself on a pedestal to try and love another _human being_. You're just like your father, man: a giant stuck up asshole."

 

Hermann shot up from his chair,and the legs screeched against the wooden flooring. His lips were tightly pursed and his hands were splayed out on the table. Right now, all he wanted to do was to strangle Newton, or strike him with his cane, anything so that he could take control of the situation.

 

Instead, he gathered up all his things and as he left, tossed his head over his shoulder and said,"I'll see you Wednesday, Newton."

 

He was gone before they could say anything else. 

 

_Good riddance, asshole._

  
Alice's voice broke the silence when she asked,"Why are you two seeing each other on Wednesdays?" 

  
_Were those tears in his eyes?_ Newt could still make out the clacking of a cane down the hallway.

   
"Newton?"

  
He turned to respond but couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d just messed up. Big time..

  
"Uh, it's a meet-up, like an after school thing, ‘cause we were friends?" He immediately cringed at his own reply.

  
Alice looked at him dead in the eyes. "Come on,what's going on?" 

  
"He uh... alright. He tutors me on Wednesdays. But only in Maths and Physics! I handle the rest just fine.” 

  
Alice chuckled. "And you chose _him_ over anyone else you could've asked? Excuse me, but that's pretty stupid."

 

"I know right?” Newt tried to laugh it off but it came out weird, like the sound a cat makes coughing up a hairball.“If you don’t mind the question, how come Hermann was being such a bitch to you?" 

  
Alice scratched the back of her head. "Um, we dated for a bit. He didn't really hang around with the other guys anyway; he was always in here showing me something or other from those massive books he reads. He’s a drag- and probably not even into girls, if you ask me."

  
"And you went out with _him_ over anyone else you could've dated?" Newt leaned across the table and quirked his brow.

  
"I don't even know what was going through my mind at that time." She tucked a strand of honey-coloured hair behind her ear. "Honestly, Newton, I’ll tell you this: dating that crippled fag was a terrible time for me and what you just did was _like wow_."

  
Newt froze. 

  
"Uh, what did you just say?"

  
"Hm?" Alice didn't seem to realize. 

  
"You just called him a crippled faggot. Did I hear that right?" he asked. A weird heavy feeling was growing in his chest.

  
"Uh, yeah,because that's basically what he is, right?" her laughter felt like a hot needle digging under his skin. "Come on Newton, don't tell me that's-" 

  
"Get out."

 

" _What?_ "

  
Newt’s voice was straining not to raise itself and his face was going red. "You heard me. Get outta here. Get lost. Scram." 

  
"Newton, I don't understand I-"

  
The way that she pronounced his full name felt unbearable. 

  
"What you just said was incredibly mean. Sure, Hermann's an asshole, but that doesn't mean you can say shit like that. I thought you were nice, cute even, but actually you're just an ignorant asshole.” He studied her for a moment and then his jaw dropped. “I remember you now: you tried to break up Mako and Raleigh in ninth grade.” he shook his head. “You're way worse than Hermann. Now, get outta my sight." 

  
Alice tried to come up with a defense but her mouth kept opening and closing like a fish out of water. Without another word, she packed up her things and left Newt by himself, screwing his palms into his eyes.

 

__________

 

Once Hermann had gone to the toilet, he went early to his next class. The door was already open. He came inside and smiled weakly at Mr Washall. He took out his English books and then his pens and began arranging them into descending order.

  
"Hey, Hermann. How have you been?"

  
"Getting by, Sir, thank you."

  
"Have you been reading much of that book lately?"

  
The question gave Hermann permission to launch into a tangent about the poems, with their wonderful structures and words until the bell rang and students started to file in. Among them, Newt settled at his seat by the window, and he was soon joined by Tendo.

 

"Hey man, do you remember that chick who tried to break up Mako and Raleigh?" 

  
Tendo frowned: he hadn’t really thought much of her since the whole incident. He placed a hand on his shoulder and noticed the distress in Newt’s eyes.

  
"Yeah, what about her? You alright?"

  
"Uh, well, she turned out to be the girl I was seeing. I feel like shit because if I knew, I would've never-I mean she's changed so much I just-but she's still incredibly mean and I-"

  
"Alright, alright. Newt, listen to me," Tendo lowered his voice as the lesson started. "Newt, it's okay. Just tell me what happened." 

  
Newt glanced at Hermann. He was crouched over the desk, already writing.

  
Tendo caught his gaze."Wait, did something happen with Hermann? Is that why you're feeling lousy? I thought you two didn't get along anyway."

 

When he was explaining the whole saga to Tendo, he couldn’t help but feel like he was the villain of the story. Even though Alice had said something he hated, he was just as bad with making Hermann feel like an outsider.

  
Newt rubbed at his eyes again.

  
"Okay, I think there's a lot more to this, but we don't have the time to unpack all of that right now. Please don't cry man: that'd be really embarrassing,” Tendo tried to lighten the mood, while rubbing Newt’s back.

 

__________

  


As soon as the home bell rang, Hermann was off to the library. Fortunately, days like these were always very quiet. Sunny weather meant that everybody was outside, doing something or other. When it was like this, Hermann liked to stay at the back of the library. It was behind the very last aisle, in a gap between the wall and a shelf, where an old brown leather armchair resided.

 

The rumour was that several years ago, a group of students had taken it upon themselves to try and furnish the library (funding cuts, am I right?). In a brainstorming session, one of them had proposed stealing a chair from staff room. At first, they’d dismissed it- one of the teachers would eventually find out and probably throw them out or do something else of severe consequence. But, after plenty of convincing and careful planning, they had set out to get it while a teacher’s meeting was going on down the hall. They had taken it up flights of stairs, past classrooms, and all the way to the back of the library. Hermann liked to believe that the legend was true.

 

He lay across the arms with his legs dangling over the side. The poetry book sat comfortably on his lap and he began to soak in the words.

 

He was so enveloped over his book, mouthing along as he read, that he didn't realise Newt was watching him. Startled, Hermann quickly shut his book and shoved it into his bag."Why are _you_ here?”

 

Newt frowned, looking down at his shoes."I um, I came to tell you that uh… I said some stuff that I didn't mean." Newt had his hands in his pockets and was rocking back and forth, which made the soles of his shoes squeak.

 

Hermann chewed on the inside of his cheek as he moved to sit properly in the chair.

  
"That's true. But I did too." 

 

Looking at Newt, Hermann could tell that he was truly remorseful. He looked like a kid apologizing for smashing an antique crockery set and had even managed to set the rug on fire. 

 

"I think it would be for the best if we put this incident behind us, don't you?"

 

Newt nodded. “That's exactly what I was thinking dude! I'm glad we've settled this because honestly, you didn't deserve any of that, so… yeah."

  
He thought about telling him what Alice had said,maybe even asking him about their past, but despite not knowing Hermann all that well, he _knew_ he would’ve caved in on himself and shooed him off. Plus, he didn't want to disturb the brief calm of the moment.

  
Newt held his hand out. "Since you seem kinda old school, let's settle this properly. If that’s alright with you?" 

  
Hermann eyed his hand for a moment, then shook it,his bony fingers enclosing his calloused hand.

 

Newt grinned then nodded towards the bag. "What were you reading?"

 

"Just- boring maths stuff, nothing that would interest you. So, I'll be seeing you on Wednesday, I presume. See you soon, Newton."

 

Newt was sure that he wasn't telling the truth but he didn't want to push it. "Also, Alice and I aren't a thing. Don't... go jumping to conclusions. She's an awful person, really, but I guess you-you knew that already."

 

"I did, yes. Now Newton, please go and see your friends. I can literally see Tendo waving at you from the entrance"

 

"Tendo and I aren't a thing either! Just so you know!" Newt added as he was walking backwards towards his friend.

 

As Newt turned on his heels, Hermann snatched the book back out of his bag. He couldn't help a little smile breaking out onto his face.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I managed to stick to the Wednesday upload! Are you proud of me? Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this latest instalment. If you could please depart by leave me some love (or hate) in the comments, I'd much appreciate it.


	3. Mr Mechanic and the German Hermit

"Correct!" Hermann beamed at him, then flipped over to the next card. 

 

To his delight, Newt had been showing real improvement. Now on their third session, Hermann felt as though he had helped make a real difference to his grades.

  
Once they had gone through all the flashcards, Hermann relaxed back in his chair, an air of satisfaction sitting on his shoulders. He caught sight of his watch: 4:03.

_ Oh, he has to go now. _

 

“Is there anything you'd like to go over before you head off?" Hermann inquired.

 

Newt considered the question, twisting his hands in his lap, before shaking his head. 

  
"No, I think I'm good." He ran a hand through his hair. "Y’know what, right now my main motivation is just to get your dad to get off my case. He keeps on finding a way to bring me down every single time. Honestly, I don’t know what I’ve done to him to make him have such a vendetta against me. He's a real jerk, I'm not gonna lie." Newt then realised what had slipped out, looking sheepish all of a sudden. "Sorry.”

 

"No, it's fine... more than fine, actually. If he wasn't my father, I'd have asked to move to the back a long time ago," Hermann added as if it was a top secret."He's just like that with everybody."

 

 "I don't see my parents that often: they live in New York while I get to stay at my uncle's. It’s only practical and it’s not like I can afford my own place yet.” Not that Newt was complaining, but in his head, living with his parents in the Big Apple seemed like a much better deal than living in Nowheresville. “Hey, what about your mom? I bet she’s nice.”

 

"My mother… passed away when I was ten. We were still living in England at the time. Father was set on getting a job somewhere out of the country and that’s when he got offered a place here.He booked the first tickets he could get his hands on."

  
Realising the weight of the subject, Hermann suddenly felt the need to make his excuses and leave.

 

Newt bit his lip; Gosh, he hadn't meant to bring up something so sad.

Suddenly, an idea crossed his mind and without thinking, he blurted it out. “Let me buy you a drink. Wait, you probably don't drink. If it's not too late of course, maybe we could grab something to eat? Would you like that? You don't have to, of course, if you just wanna go home and study but uh.. yeah." Newt flashed his cutest smile (the one he usually saved for the girls).

 

For the first time in his life, Hermann was speechless. Real slack-jawed speechlessness. It took him a moment or so to really gather his thoughts and digest what Newt had just said.

  
"Uhm- yes. Yes! That'd be great. I usually stay here for an extra hour or so- but I'd like to."

  
Hermann could feel his face getting rather warm (again, not a very common occurrence).

  
Getting up, Hermann shrugged on his blazer and threw his books into his bag, head slightly bowed. Meanwhile, he mentally ran through all the places they could go. The diner by Midvale Street was reputable enough- but it would be packed full of other students at this hour. Any bar within their town wouldn't dare let them in at this age, so he wasn’t sure why Newt had even suggested it.

 

"How about we go to the park? It's the perfect weather for it. Then we could find something to eat later. C’mon," Newt smiled again.

As they left the library, they found Tendo sitting on a window-sill with his nose stuck in a Marvel comic.

"Hey man! Um, I can't go home with you, so I’ll see you sometime soon, okay?"

"Where are you two going?" Tendo looked at them with a smile tugging at his lips.

"We’re off to hang out in the park." 

Newt noticed Hermann was fidgeting a bit, so he just made some elaborate hand gestures, got his point across and walked off.

Tendo flashed them a knowing smile, humming as he went on his way. 

Realising Hermann walked a bit slower than him, Newt made an effort to keep at his pace.

"So, do you usually hang out with Tendo after school?"

For the time it took for them to walk there,Newt rambled on about his friend: where they hung out; funny stories, their own illustrated comics, and other things they got up to with Mako and Raleigh. Despite being bordered by roads,there was hardly any ars in sight, since most adults were still at work. Ahead, a wide open gate lead them onto a gravel path. Well-kept flowers sprouted along the sides and old trees reached so high you couldn’t see the tops of them. Since Newt was used to hanging out at the diner, he didn’t come out for a stroll that often. However, he felt that Hermann would appreciate the view.

"Do you wanna sit?"

He didn't know how Hermann got his limp in the first place, but he didn’t want to bring up something that could make him feel self-conscious. For now, he could just show him that he didn't mind.

Captivated by Newt's chatter, it took Hermann a moment to register that he was asking him something.

"Hm? Oh yes, I should probably."

"Hey, look!” he pointed off in the distance, “They sell hotdogs over there."

"Great, I'll have one too then," Hermann said. He spotted a bench close-by the band stand and decided to sit down while Newt ordered their food. He couldn't help but feel a little... weird that he wasn't paying for his own. He was already asking him to pay for the sessions (at quite a high price at that) and now he was buying him lunch? He fidgeted with the  shoulder strap on his bag as he waited.

“There you go, man,” Newt passed him his hotdog and sat down next to him on the old wooden bench.

He proceeded to chow down on his food; he hadn’t realised how hungry he was before. Looking around the park, he noticed that the sun was brighter than usual; it filtered through the canopy of leaves on the trees surrounding them. There were some rather boisterous kids in the playground a few metres away.

Hermann rolled his eyes; somehow, the mustard had gotten all over Newt’s fingers and had even managed to get on the tip of his nose.

"I was thinking... I'm going to lower the price of our sessions to just three dollars an hour. Is that alright?"

Newt nodded, still trying to swallow the last bite.

"Hm, yeah sure man, I'm always down to save money." Newt licked the sauce off on his fingers, despite having a napkin at hand. "Why- I mean, what's your reason?" 

"Do you want the truth?" 

He took his silent staring as a yes.

"I didn't think you would last, so I set it at that price as it was more beneficial to me."- _ But your company is more valuable to me now _ -"I shouldn’t have thought so little of you."

Newt raised his eyebrows. "That's... not the answer I was expecting... but you were honestly right. Like, I thought I was gonna bail it but uh, whatever you seem to be doing is working, " he shrugged. "But don't worry about it, dude. I’m as guilty as you are on that front…but why were you so certain I’d give up?"

“Because you don’t seem to be the type to put in the work.”

“Are you saying I’m lazy?”

"Maybe." 

"Ouch, okay. I mean, I just don't think I'm cut out for school. Do you know how boring it can get sitting down for like 2 hours at a time for someone like me?"

"Ah yes, Mr Mechanic prefers to work with his hands; I understand. But I also doubted…"

"What?"

A long drawn out sigh whistled from his lips. "I doubted myself. You were right when you said I didn't have any friends. I'm not that easy to be around."

"Tell me something I don't know,” Newt smirked.

Hermann shot him a look and he was half tempted to shut his trap.

"I mean, at first,  _ yes _ . You're a bit rough on other people. But I get it. You can't always be what other people want from you. And maybe I was right, but you know I'm not proud of what I said to you that day. I'm sure there's people out there that'll dig you- hell, even  _ date _ you. Look. All I'm saying is, I'm not planning on giving up these sessions any time soon." He was scuffing the metal toe of his work boots on the ground, which seemed to be the only thing he could dare look at right now.

He paused for a moment then poked Hermann in the arm.

 "Are you gonna eat that or not?"

"Oh sorry, I just like to take my time to eat rather than shovelling it down.” He batted Newt's hand away, then playfully shoved him, as though to keep his food safe from harm's way.

He gave Hermann a nudge right back as he stood up and threw the wrapping paper into the nearest bin. He plopped back onto the bench. Before he could stop himself, he asked: "So what's the deal between you and your dad? Apart from the fact that he's an ass.”

Hermann started to tear the corners off the paper wrapping.

"Oh, nothing much. He's just a man of traditions while I'd much rather take up my own path. What about you and your uncle?” Hermann added quickly.“What's it like with him?”

"My uncle Illia and I? Oh we get along great. He's kind, smart and a real wisecrack. He plays all kinds of music and fixes all kinds of engines like it’s nothing! He isn't hard on me, so I can do what I want as long as it's not too illegal and I know what I'm doing." Newt shot a glance at Hermann. "Oh man, I'm sorry, I got over-excited. Sorry that you don't have that, I mean."

"I don't expect you to make up lies to make me feel better. I'm glad you have him in your life. Everybody deserves someone like that, right?” There was a brief silence then Hermann cleared his throat. “So, are you planning on continuing work at his shop or doing something else?"

"Nah, I love working at my uncle's- but I want something more, you know? As cool as it is, I don’t think I could stand doing it for the rest of my life. I'd love to be a biologist or something. When I was a kid I wanted to study all sorts of weird things, from insects to UFO crop circles but like, that's not a real thing,” he chuckled. ” I still don't know what to do exactly. What about you?"

Hermann hummed in agreement. He looked over at Newt and imagined him in a white lab coat. It would probably suit him better than his leather jacket- not that the leather jacket didn't look nice- but he pictured someone more debonair adorning it.

"Well, I’d like to do something with my interests rather than being stuck in a classroom. Maybe I could design new cars or machines, something that could help people with their everyday lives. To make something that could outlive you seems worthwhile." 

Hermann finished off his hotdog and stuffed the remains into the bin beside him.

"I'd like to go back to England."

"But wait, don’t you have a German name? Man, what are you doing ‘round here?”

"I was born in Germany, Bavaria actually. Quite a small country town. It wasn't safe for us; Father knew things were going to take a turn for the worst. At least he got that right- so by the time I was 2, we packed up and moved to England. My father taught at Oxford for some time,then mother died and now we're here. Not exactly an improvement but my grades haven't struggled-" Hermann’s face twinged with anger- "so it doesn't matter to him."

“That… the same thing happened with me- well, sort of.” Newt gulped. Carefully, he reached under his shirt and brought out a gold chain necklace with the Star of David hanging at the end of it. He talked to the symbol more than to Hermann. “Me and my family came here when I was too young to remember. My grand-pop gave this to my Dad before we left. My mom hid it in the sole of her shoe when we travelled- neat, huh?- and my Dad gave it to me when he left for New York.” They exchanged a look of understanding. 

"Alright man, this is getting me down.” He tucked his necklace back underneath his shirt and stood up. “How about we move n’ walk a bit more?"

Hermann got up and looked around. Other sounds around him fell deaf on his ears apart from the birds twittering high in the trees.

Hermann started to walk and Newt fell into his stride. "Anyway- career-wise, I think something within the natural sciences would be great for you,  _ Dr _ Geiszler.”

 

______

 

A couple of hours had passed and it was starting to get dark. Newt had offered to walk him back home, but he declined. "I don't think my father would be happy with me if he saw me with you.I know you’re a good student but-" Hermann paused and looked him up and down, biting his lip.

At first Newt didn't understand, but then he remembered what Alice had said.

"Oh right because you're- Nevermind, I get it." Newt gave Hermann a quick hug. "Goodnight pal!" he smiled as he waved goodbye to him, watching him go round the corner before sprinting back home.

Later it crossed his mind that it was simply because Newt wasn't considered a ``respectable" enough person by Hermann’s dad for him to hang out with (whether anyone actually fell into that category was a mystery to him).  And for it to lead into thinking that a boy like Newt was fooling around with his son, well… he didn’t want to imagine the sort of trouble that would get Hermann into.

Why couldn't he get this thing out of his mind? It wasn't such a big deal, Hermann being into guys. Was it?

Hermann had squinted in confusion at his reply, but was left dumbfounded by his touch. It was fleeting but long enough to make him feel warm, protected even. Shaking his head, he started to make his way home.

...Except it took much longer than usual.

______

 

In the garage, Newt saw his uncle and Tendo idly chatting away, drinking a beer in the old deckchairs.

"Hey Newt, I was wondering when you were gonna come back. Tendo was just telling me that you've made a new friend, is that right?" 

"Uh, yeah I guess you can say that?" His voice lifted an octave higher.

"Oh come on, there's more to it than that man." Tendo laughed and raised his brows. "You get along  _ perfectly _ ." 

A confused smile crossed his face as he approached them. 

"Are you two... okay? How much have you been drinking?"

His uncle stood up and put a hand on his shoulder. He looked rather sober.

"Whatever’s going on, it’s all fine, kiddo." 

His words hung in the air like Christmas lights threatening to fall from a tree.

Newt clapped his hands together. "Okay! You two are freaking me out and I don't know what you’re trying to hint at; Hermann and I are just friends, and that's it. Now Tendo, you coming up or what?"

"Right behind you man!" Tendo shrugged at Illia before he followed Newt upstairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is probably the shortest of the lot but don't you worry- next week's is a huge boy and ( if you can believe it) gets even gayer.


	4. Lost In the Stars

Newt didn't see Hermann the following morning; sure, they didn’t normally see each other outside the library, but things had changed the moment they had set foot in that park. He thought, maybe if he could persuade him to get out of that library, the gang could get to know him a little better and take him under their wings. He just wanted things to go well for Hermann. At lunch, he found himself getting restless. He was scanning this way and that for the guy until he finally excused himself from the table.

 

As per usual, he was getting the odd look from other library dwellers, but he had grown usedit. He found him cradling a book on that old creaky armchair. Newt's shoulders sagged with relief.

 

"Oh there you are, I was just wondering where-  oh _shit_ , what's that?"

 Hermann had glanced up at him briefly, alerted by his voice, before he quickly hid his face behind the book. "What happened Hermann?” Newt demanded, then knelt down beside him.  “And don't tell me you fell, because I'll know it’s bullshit."

 

He was close enough for Hermann to smell his aftershave and the anbaric smell of machinery. His eyes stung in protest of the fresh batch of tears brimming to the surface. The book shook as he lowered it, letting Newt see the dark purplish welts forming along his high cheekbones.

 

"It was Chuck," Hermann managed to speak while his fingers picked at the loose stitching on his empty blazer pocket. "I was walking home earlier than usual, I should’ve known better, and he must've known I was going to be there, and _she_ ,” he spat, “she must've told him. If I’d’ve just taken another route-" His voice cut off as his anger morphed into shame, the burning tears falling on the open book.

 

Not knowing what to do with himself, Newt wrapped his arms around him.

“It’s okay, Herms, it's okay,” he assured him,”None of this is your fault, you hear me?” 

 

Carefully, Newt took the book off of Hermann's lap and reached to put it in his bag when-

 

“Ugh, don’t tell me he took your bag too- that _bastard._ ”

 

Hermann began to bite at his nails, which were already wearing thin. “He took it when I was down. I felt like I couldn’t do anything to stop him- well, that’s because I can't,” he huffed a sad little laugh then shook his head.“All of my books, my work, I-” Suddenly, he began to tremble. 

 

Newt grabbed his shoulders. “Herms, it’s gonna be alright. We’re gonna get your bag back. What can he do with it anyway? S’not like he can read," Newt chortled.

 

Gradually, the shaking calmed down. Hermann let himself melt into the feeling of warm steady hands before pulling away. “There’s no “getting it back”, Newton. It’s all my fault and it’s none of your concern. It’s probably been dumped, or set on fire...look I just don’t care anymore,” he said. He curled in on himself.

 

“Why're you blaming yourself for this? They’re the idiots that came to beat you up-”

 

“That’s exactly my point!” He hissed. “I wasn’t discreet enough, I should’ve tried harder to fit in. But I swear, sometimes they can smell it.”

 

“I mean, I’m near you right now and you don’t smell weird- sorry, I’ll shut up.”

 

“ What I’m trying to say is- This isn’t the first time I’ve encountered people like them, and it’s always for the same reason. That's why I can’t go to the Principal about this, otherwise things will come out and I’ll end up getting expelled.”

 

“... You never liked Alice, did you?”

 

He huffed. “Well, I thought I did at first. But then she’d get closer and try to kiss me, so I’d distract her," Hermann looked him dead in the eyes. "I’m not like other men, Newton, you need to understand that.”

 

“I do. Still, it doesn’t make it your fault,” Newt persisted and tried his best to smile. “I’m not gonna start ringing the town bell and telling everyone, so don’t sweat it.”

Then the school bell rang.

“You go ahead,” Newt said. “I’ll keep an eye out and if they come near you, I’ll sort ‘em out.” He stood and helped Hermann to his feet. "And uh, if you want me to walk you home, I can do that."

“Yes, that would be nice,” he paused for a moment and cleared his throat, that solid emotionless state suddenly rebuilding itself. “Thank you, Newton.” he left before anything else could he said.

He quickly made his way to the toilets. There was no sign of life apart from the smell of cigarette smoke that lingered, undoubtedly from the kids who had just ran off to lessons. Upon the high windowsill, there was a decently sized cigarette stubbed out. Standing on his tip-toes, he picked it up then fumbled for the lighter hidden in his inside blazer pocket. Taking a long deep drag, the smoke billowed from his mouth. When his vision was no longer clouded, the grimy cracked mirror in front of him revealed the bright red blotches on his cheeks which matched the dried blood on his split lip and the purple- speckled bruise around his left eye. It was so stark,so apparent against his pale skin. It wasn't meant to be there.

_I'm not meant to be here_.

He disposed of the evidence in the toilet and splashed his face with lukewarm water in the hopes that it would calm the blotches. He managed to slip into the classroom without disruption and took his usual seat. 

"Now, kids, if you could open your books to-" Mr Washall caught sight of him. His Adam's apple bobbed under his grey stubble. "-To page 43, we'll just cover some of the text and have a group discussion on it in a moment."

 

Newt couldn't help but glance at Hermann, so much so that Tendo caught on. Of course, he asked what had happened and _of course_ , Newt had to lie. When the conversation reached a dead end, Tendo gave up trying.

The school-bell was like sweet music to their ears. Hermann didn't move, waiting for everyone to go.

"My God, Hermann what happened to you?" Mr Washall was standing at the front of his desk, eyes full of sorrow.

"I fell into his fists, if you can believe it," Hermann gave a single bark, then shook his head. "They bloody know. They all know. I-I can't do this, Sir."

Mr Washall gave him the white handkerchief sticking out from his top pocket, then straddled a chair, resting his hairy forearms on the back. "It's going to be okay. You only have a few months left here, and then you'll be as free as a bird. You’re better than this place, Hermann. I know you can find a way out of here because you've got the smarts. There's plenty of places that will offer you a warm and loving home. I wouldn't be where I am today without the friends I made," he admitted, "so trust me when I say there's good people in this life. Some you’ll grow to love and visa versa. You _have_ to believe that."

"Thank you Sir, it's just- it’s hard to believe in anything right now,” Hermann said while  dabbing his eyes with the hankie. “Could just check to see if Newton Geiszler is outside?"

Mr Washall poked his head around the doorway and relief flooded through Herman when he heard a familiar voice. He looked like a scorned child as he entered. The expression dropped when he saw fresh blotches on Hermann’s face.

"Hermann, I didn't tell him what happened, I swear!"

"It's okay, Newton. He _knows_. He's a good teacher."

"Okay, that's fine then," Newt tried to act nonchalant, looking to Mr Washall. "I was only there to make sure Chuck wasn't coming to look for him."

"Newton, I was trying to keep any names out of this."

"Sorry, I'll just shut up then."

"Now," Mr Washall asked,``Have you been doing anything to treat that eye of yours? 

"No, but I will once I get home… but that doesn’t matter. They took my bag, which also had your book in. I’m so sorry," he croaked. "I could give you the money for-"

“Hermann," Mr Washall began sternly, putting his hands on his hips," if you think I care more about that book than your safety,  then you’re dead wrong. I can just buy another copy,and I will certainly not accept any money from you.." Newt was hovering besides Hermann so he tapped his shoulder.

"Take good care of him, Newt. You're a sweet kid and I know he's in safe hands with you. But don't go round getting yourself hurt, you hear?”

Newt nodded, but he didn't seem to be paying much attention. "Anything else, Sir?"

"I'm just glad to know that Hermann’s got someone in his corner. I'll see you two tomorrow."

The corridors leading outside were almost empty, apart from the odd janitor or teacher weaving in and out of classrooms.

"So what's the deal with Washall? I didn't know you two were best buds."

"He lends me Walt Whitman poetry and he tells me about his old drama school days. I think that can speak for itself, Newton," he smiled, but hissed as the split skin on his lip broke all over again. " I can't talk about my feelings with many people, as you probably already know. But I feel like I can trust you... I really don't have anywhere else to go right now, apart from the library, but that shuts at six."

"Well," Newt shrugged, "You could come to my place but I doubt your dad will let you sleep somewhere else, right? How are you going to explain-?"

"Newton, that's very kind of you, but I won't need to sleep over. I just need some time to think.”

Newt considered it then clapped his hands together. "Alright! Let's get my motorbike then." 

 

__________

 

They walked on to the far end of  the parking lot to where the bikes were.  After reversing out of his spot, Newt looked expectantly at Hermann.  
"Come on, sit behind me dude.”

Hermann's eyes went wide."That's a bloody death machine if I've ever seen one. Do you not wear a helmet or any protective gear?” 

"What, a death mach-? Oh come on dude- I'll drive slowly! My place isn't that far and it's not like I can leave this bad boy here overnight; he'll get stolen." Newt patted the seat behind him. "Come on, get your skinny ass on over here so we can go!" he laughed as he revved the engine, which didn't exactly help Hermann's nerves.

Cautiously, Hermann stepped towards the motorcycle and swung a leg over the side. It wasn't the best looking bike and it seemed to wheeze under the extra weight. His cane was certainly the hardest thing to maneuver, as he fidgeted and thought of where to place it until he finally he leaned forward and held his arms around Newt's front, holding the cane like a handrail on a rollercoaster cart.

"Is this okay?"

Newt snorted. "Yeah it's okay." 

Pulling out of the parking lot, he made sure to hit the road without going too fast for Hermann. The wind played with his hair; it sent a cold shiver through his spine and his mouth exploded into a smile.

Hermann didn't open his eyes at first; the winds and bumps of the road made him nauseous . He squeezed tighter to Newt without meaning to, and had to consciously relax so he didn’t dig his cane into his stomach.

Then he heard the sound of birds. He felt they were close, so he hazarded a look. In great packs, they flew above his head in great elegant diving twirls.

Newt had felt Hermann's tense body loosen up and decided to speed up a little.  
"Is everything alright?" he screamed to compete with the sound of the engine.

"Yes! This is great!" Hermann closed his eyes to focus on the wind on his face. Despite the pain in his lip, he was grinning until his face ached.

Newt laughed; it was the first time that he had heard him so joyful. Newt felt a bubble of joy, as another laugh erupted from his chest. The sound was cut when a car passed by a bit too close for comfort, causing him to swerve to the side of the road.

"Sorry.”

They arrived shortly after. Newt flipped out the kickstand while Hermann staggered and stepped off, catching his breath for a moment before following Newt towards his home. The garage doors were flung wide open, and from inside the whirring sounds of machines echoed interwoven against some tinny rock blaring from a beat up radio. The natural light kept the place well lit, and dust danced about in the rays of light. In a corner of the room, a man (who he could safely guess was Uncle Illia merely from the identical stature and the square glasses under the protective mask) stood tinkering away at a large hunk of an engine at a work desk.

He waved at his uncle who raised his eyebrows at the sight of Hermann. 

"This is Hermann." Newt said.

The whirring stopped; Uncle Illia put down his tools and flipped up the transparent shield covering his face. He wiped his hands on his navy blue overalls before offering his hand. “Name’s Illia, proud uncle of this little rug-rat. Nice to meet ya, Hermann.”

Hermann shook his hand all business-like, as he replied, “Nice to meet you too.”

“So, what happened to you?”

Newt began to interject but Hermann cut him off. “I was mugged- yes, I was mugged last night. They took my wallet and my er, old watch.”

Illia frowned, seeming to inspect Hermann for a moment, then said, “Haven’t you reported it to the police?”

“Yes, as soon as I came home, my father and I marched straight up to the station and filed a report. They said they’d contact me as soon as they heard anything.”

Illia sighed. “Well, good luck with that. Anyway, you two leave me be; I need to finish that piece today otherwise I’ll get a very angry man knocking at my door,” he laughed to himself, smiling at Hermann before going back to work.

“Nice save,” Newt whispered before they headed off to the kitchen.

It was smaller and much more cramped than Hermann’s place, but somehow seemed all the more comfortable for it. Numerous jeans and t-shirts were flung over chairs and doors,with the sink piled high with dirty dishes. Their small dining table was furnished with two worn deck chairs. As they went upstairs, Hermann noticed some picture frames hanging. Some were baby photos of Newt with his parents, but the one that caught his eye was one of Newt’s dad and uncle  on a fishing boat, and a small Newton Geiszler grinning at the large fish held above him.

Newt flung his bedroom door wide open and in his lousy attempt at a British accent, said, "Welcome to my humble abode." 

After seeing the kitchen and living room, Hermann should've expected that Newt's would've been just as messy.

Except he was wrong.

It was even _worse._

He could just about make a path to Newt's bed through the clutter of piled up dirty shirts, paper balls and odd socks. The walls were covered with newspaper clipping of his favourite bands, scientific discoveries, and whatever new motorbikes he was lusting after. Above his bed, holding prize place over everything,was a large Elvis Presley poster tacked and heavily sellotaped to the ceiling. It was almost the same size as his bed. It was almost daunting, seeing all the details of his face and that bright red cuban collar shirt.

"Sorry about the mess. I can tidy up a bit, if you want." saying so, Newt rounded up all of his stray clothes and put them in the washing basket.

"Hey, I'm gonna get you a some ice for that bruise. Is there..." Newt scratched his nose,"Is there somewhere else you'd need to apply it? I also have some antiseptics and ace bandages, if uh..." Newt waved vaguely. He suspected that he had more injuries than he was willing to admit. "I also have painkillers, if you want. Just tell me, and I'll get it."

"I'll have an ice bag, painkillers and antiseptic for one please," Hermann tried to joke, looking down as his fidgeting hands.

Newt nodded; he knew it was better to laugh than cry but it still pained him. He went to the bathroom to the medical stuff then took off to the kitchen.

"What happened to your friend, bud?" 

Newt’s uncle stood in the doorway of the kitchen, wiping grease off of his hands.

"As he said, he was robbed on his way home. What, don’t you believe him?" 

"You know you can tell me anything right?" Illia said with a certain parental patience.

Newt slammed the orange juice carton on the counter. "I know, but I don't know what the deal is with you and Tendo. You two are acting strange and I don't like it. Tell me!" 

From his general track record, Newt knew Illia wasn't that good with words. He scratched his neck, a gesture his nephew had gotten used to, and looked him in the eyes.

"Okay, fine." Newt muttered and picked up his stuff. “Just know that we’re safe.”

 

__________

 

"Voilà!" Newt presented the array of medical supplies on a tray and placed it on his bedside cabinet. Seeing the carton, Hermann guzzled down half of it. He took the ice pack and rested it on his eye. The weight of it made his wrist ache.

He picked up the antiseptic and cotton and gestured for Hermann to take it from him.

"Do you wanna do it yourself or…?”

"If you could just… sort out my lip," Hermann tried to explain without words by lifting his free but trembling hand. Newt chugged some of the carton too then sat besides him.

"Alright, this will sting a bit," he warned before applying a damp cotton.

Newt felt his stomach suddenly drop: he hadn’t been this close to Hermann since seeing him in the library. Now, without all the panic, Newt could see him clearer: his startling brown eyes against his pale skin; the twists and turns of his mouth as he winced; the clenching of his shoulders all the more emphasized by the stuttering rise and fall of his chest.

"Done."

"Thanks." Hermann smiled weakly. The ice was really helping. "Is your uncle usually in the garage?"

"Well yeah, he pretty much eats, sleeps, and works in there. We always sit in the living room for dinner though.”

His uncle was really getting under his skin but it seemed as though they were at a conversational stale-mate. He brushed a finger under his lips absentmindedly.

Hermann caught sight of the movement, then averted his gaze to the ceiling. "You’re an Elvis fan, then? I should've known."

He lay back on the bed and took his hand off the ice bag, letting gravity do the work for him.

Newt turned to look then followed suite. "Yeah, his music’s the living end! Hey, what kind of music do you like?" he asked. He turned to look at Hermann better, resting his head on his arm.

"Oh, mostly whatever comes on the radio. My favourite’s Nat King Cole. I’d love to see him perform live some day.” 

He turned his head to see Newt. It caused a flutter in his stomach, noticing how close they were. It was like in the library, when he could smell him, but now the scent was everywhere. 

Newt wanted to respond but his breath got caught in his throat, his eyes having met Hermann's deep brown ones.He bolted up from the bed as if he’d woken up from a bad dream. "Do you read comics?"

"Not really," Hermann said. “I'd rather save up my pocket money for other things. Though I imagine you own quite a few."

"Oh man you have no idea!" Newt bounced from the bed and grabbed a few boxes from a high shelf "See? I have plenty of them! You wanna see the ones me and Tendo make?"

Hermann made an affirmative noise, then took off the ice pack before propping himself up on his elbows. Newt took out their most recent (the one he was most proud of) and handed it to Hermann. The front cover was lively, with bright primary colours and had a large striking font. Unlike other comic book stories, this one centred around a teenage boy discovering far-off planets and bizarre alien species, and his fight to defend them from evil humans that wanted to experiment on them.

As Hermann flicked through, Newt would point out certain panels and explained their creative process. He hazarded a look or two at Hermann while he was ogling the pages.

They spent the rest of the evening like that, Newt’s bedside radio humming pleasantly.

Hermann looked out through the window above Newt's desk. It was getting darker. His stomach churned, as the events of last night flashed through his mind. "I better get going. Are you sure you want to take me home?”

“Of course,” he replied instantly, “I’m not letting you walk home this late. Come on, let’s get going.” 

Hermann felt that his joints were a lot more relaxed now as he got up. He stuffed his clothes into his bag then took his cane. They went downstairs to the kitchen to find Uncle Illia was at the stove.

"Hey guys! I was just gonna bring some grilled cheese up for you,” he said, pressing the bread down with a spatula.

 Newt eyed it hungrily, but refused."Actually, I’m gonna ride Hermann back to his house now. It's pretty dark already so there’s no time to eat."  

“Hey, there’s always time to eat,” Illia protested, sounding a little hurt. Flipping the bread, he slipped the delicacy into a grease-proof bag and handed it to Hermann. “That’s for you to take home. Come here whenever you want. You’re always welcome here, pal.” 

Deep down, Hermann knew he meant it and that’s what made it all the more painful to leave.

 

__________

 

The ride to Hermann’s house wasn’t as exciting. He was clinging on to him even tighter; the absence of light caused him mind to warp the shadows and sounds into something terrifying. A few metres away, Newt parked by Hermann's house next to a lamppost. He lived in a grand suburban cul-de-sac, so quiet and reserved compared to Newt's rambunctious part of town. He could estimate that his whole house probably cost the same as a single living room..

Newt chaperoned him as close as he could get to his house, walking side by side. Then Hermann lifted his head and stopped dead in his tracks.

"Oh my, look at the stars." Hermann gawped at them, craning his head back as far as he could. He reached a hand out towards them, as though to trace along the invisible lines that connected them.

A chill crept up Newt’s neck that made him shiver as he looked up. The stars were simply beautiful. The sky was so clear that they could see every crater and crevice on the Moon’s surface.

"Yeah...Hey look, there’s the lion constellation.”

"Yes! And Doppler! That one’s the brightest. And can you see the one that’s flashing green and red? That's Cappella." He pointed out a few more along the way, with Newt watching the way how Hermann’s face lit up. This is what he loves, he thought, Hermann found his home in these stars.

 Ahead, a light came on in the hallway of a house, shining through the top glass panel of the front door.

Hermann gulped. "I guess I'll see you soon then… I can’t thank you enough- for today and for yesterday. I don’t know how I would’ve coped without you, Newton." 

He came back to Earth when he heard his name. "Hm?"

Hermann shook his head in amused disbelief. "It seems as though you're just as lost in the stars as me, Geiszler"

 Newt scratched the back of his head and chuckled, "I guess I am. See ya tomorrow, Herms. " 

As Hermann walked ahead, he quickly beat feet in the hopes that Dr Gottlieb wouldn’t catch him, but he chanced a quick glance back, just to see Hermann step inside.

 

__________

 

"Where have you been?"

The door slammed the moment he was inside. They had stopped speaking German years ago.

"Library, as always."

"Liar. You're always home much earlier than this." Fingertips dug into Hermann’s chin, as his face was turned in close inspection."What did you do now?" His jowled face wrinkled in disgust.

"I was mugged."

"No you weren't. Didn’t you care to think that I would’ve heard all about this in the staffroom today? Your Maths teacher was fretting like a mad thing, wondering what the hell had happened to you. That’s how I found out. You can’t begin to imagine how embarrassing that was for me. So tell me."

"A student punched me on my way to school. He wasn't wearing the same uniform, so I don’t know who he-"

"Lying _again_." The grip tightened. "Who the fuck do you think you are? I raised you better than this."

_smack_

Hermann clutched his face, as the sting made his stomach convulse. I’m going to be sick, he  thought, and I hope I ruin his damn shoes.

"I know why this happened, but you are too full of shame to admit it. Sooner or later, you'll do what's right and I won’t be the one to take responsibility." Before another word could be said, Lars stormed into the living room and slammed the door shut behind him. 

The noise of TV static hummed then warped into tinny voices echoing through the hallway.

Words fighting to get out burned on Hermann’s tongue but he made sure to swallow the embers, before treading lightly upstairs.

 

__________

 

Newt didn’t want to be angry. Flashes of the bruises and cuts on Hermann were on repeat in his mind like a slideshow, causing him to flinch and bare his teeth at nothing. So, who could  blame him if his bike took a slight detour?

A single flickering lamp post cast light upon the old playground. Swing-sets creaked despite no-one using them. Above the gang of teenagers was a cloud of cigarette smoke. Newt’s engine calmed to a purr as he waited in the distance. Crouching as the others sniggered, Chuck was found rifling through a very familiar bag. 

“Imagine if we found condoms- wouldn’t that be a surprise!” One of them snorted.

“He doesn’t even have food in here- I doubt he even eats, the fucking twig. Look, “Chuck exclaimed as he showed them what was inside, “It’s all just books and shitty connect the dots. What’s this fag even on?”

The gang’s laughter was drowned out by a loud engine revving. Everyone flinched back, apart from Chuck, who grinned into the darkness.

“Newt, how nice of you to finally join us. Come on, scaredy cat. Come out of your hidey-hole.”

Newt stood near the edge of the light and glared.“I’m not here to talk, Chuck.”

“I know that,” Chuck stood up, drawing to his full height. “You’re here to defend your boyfriend’s honour, become the hero. But that’s not the Newt we know,now is it boys?” The others jeered in response.

“We know who you are, Newt. The true you.” He moved towards Newt with his hands behind his back. “So how about you cut the act and come back to us. You _liked_ us. The friends you have now just put up with you. They’ll never forget where you came from. Where you got _this_ from,”Chuck said as he pinched the shoulder of his leather jacket.

Newt kept his face stone-cold. “Get with it, I’m not here to talk, Chuck. Gimme the bag and we can just forget this ever happened.”

“You really think you’re getting away that easy?” He inclined his head,now inches from Newt’s face. His breath carried the scent of tobacco and cheap booze. “C’mon, let’s see if you’re as good as you used to be.”

“Bite me, asshole.”

“Wha-?” the first punch was thrown straight at his jaw, which took him off kilter for a moment. Finding his feet, he launched himself at Newt with a growl. “You little shit!”

 Once tackled to the ground, Newt kneed him in the crotch and tried to shove him off but to no avail. The punch was returned, then Chuck slammed his head back on the concrete pavement sending his glasses askew.

“See, you got no fight left in you Newt. You’re a worthless sack of shit, and you know it.” He spat on the ground close to him. “Give up.”

Newt’s face wound tight with fury,“Fuck you.” Grabbing Chuck’s shoulders, he flipped their positions and held him in a chokehold. “Leave me and my friends _alone_.” Chuck clawed at his hands and Newt was soon dragged off by two of the five others, giving him time to get up and recover.

“I don’t have time for this…” A glint of silver protruded from Chuck’s hand. “Don’t make me do this, man.”

"No, this is between us Chuck. This isn't fucking fair. Tell this lot to scram or I'm screaming murder." Newt tugged and shoved frantically, the grip around his arms vicelike.

"You can't scream with a punctured lung, idiot. Nothing's ever fair in this life and you should know that by now."

Newt couldn't think; his mouth was dry and he couldn't see a way out. 

"Why do you care so much anyway?" Chuck continued, twirling the handle. "That fag is just like his father, a little bitch with a stick up his ass."

"But he's a better man than you'll ever be." It slipped out of that darn big mouth of his before he could think twice.

It all happened so fast.

One second, Chuck's face convulsed with anger, and he lunged forward, the blade so bright in the reflection of the lamp post. Newt swayed to the side, tugging against the restraint on his arms, which only got tighter. His aim was disrupted, distorted by his booze-riddled coordination, so the only thing which was slashed was the bottom of Newt's leather jacket. The moment was all Newt needed to use the grip on his arms to bring his legs up and kick Chuck square in the chest. One of his goons let go out of shock, and Newt was finally able to wrench his arms free. The knife had fallen to the floor, along with Chuck. Newt dove down and managed to pick it up.

“All of you back off!” He was pointing the knife in their direction. The leader was on his knees, fear revealing the whites of his eyes. Taking the bag, Newt chucked the knife down the street before running as fast as he could. With shaky hands, he turned the key in the ignition and sped off not even daring to look back.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I hoped you liked it! Leave a kudos and comment if you though t Newt was acc gonna get stabbed (I didn't know myself until yesterday lmao). Only another two chapters to go, which will be the usual length. see you next Wednesday :)


	5. Trust Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Newt and Hermann become loser than ever, but the past still haunts them...

The locker door slammed shut. Hermann's face was still throbbing and his head felt like a ton of bricks. Since last night, he hadn't seen Newton and even now, half-way through the day, he hadn't even caught a glimpse of him in the busy corridors, where he was anxiously fidgeting with the head of cane. 

Then, he finally saw him. He first noticed the shiner that he was sporting (which mirrored Hermann’s - not like that that's an important detail or anything), swollen up like a red balloon beneath his eye. Then  he noticed his grin- large, toothy, and swallowing up his whole face, beaming in Hermann’s direction.

“Newt!” His name escaped his lips before he could even stop it; the shout faded in with the rest of the noise, so Newt was able to steer them off without anyone noticing.

They were in the janitor's closet. It was cramped, dimly lit and coated with dust, but neither of them seemed to mind. Hermann could've sworn Newt had grown overnight, their shoulders almost level with each other.

Hermann began to speak in a whisper but it was difficult for him to keep his volume down. “Where have you been? When I didn’t see you in Mr Washall’s class this morning, I had begun to think the worst.”

“I’m fine, I’m fine!” Newt was still grinning, looking manic as ever, which was starting to unsettle Hermann-- I mean, no one should be that happy about getting a black eye-- but then Newt dropped to his knees and from under the wooden shelves, picked up and dangled Hermann's bag. "Recognise this?"

"How-?” he stopped as the realisation hit him, his mouth hanging open. “Oh, you idiot!" He thumped his shoulder then held it apologetically. "You got hurt over that? Oh,  _ Newton _ ." His voice strained partly in irritation.

"It's okay. I needed to do something. You were just so sad yesterday, I-I wanted to help."

"You already did, you fool," then Hermann launched into a hug. His bag smacked to the floor as Newt returned the embrace, hugging him tight to his chest.

"Thank you," Hermann said, his voice trembling in the shell of his ear, "but promise me you won't do that again."

"Thankfully, I won't have to," Newt said, pulling back." After going to the nurse’s office, I told the Head about what happened to me last night and with a little word from Mr Washall, those bastards been expelled… You don't have to worry about them anymore, okay?"

Hermann broke out into a watery smile. He reclaimed his bag from Newt, instantly rifling through to find everything in its rightful place, then took out a slip of paper.

"Here, you can have this." The white squared paper was wrinkled like it had been in his bag for months. On it was what seemed to be a myriad of constellations plotted in pencil, but Newt couldn’t seem to recognise any of them.

"I make them when I'm bored in lessons," he explained. "It's nothing special, I just-"

"Nono, its cool, I like it. Thank you, Herms." He folded it up and kept it in an inside jacket pocket.

In that small pocket of time filled with silence, they openly gazed at each other. There was no fear, no reservation, and they did not have to think about anyone else. The moment shattered when Newt almost kicked over a bucket full of mop water. He muttered some excuse, opened the door for Hermann, then parted ways in the empty corridor*. 

* They hadn’t heard the school bell ringing only moments before.

 

_________

 

As time went by, their library sessions became redundant; Newt was at the top of his game with grades that he could shove Dr Gottlieb's face in.Now, he would only stay behind to keep Hermann company in the library. On Hermann’s Bad Leg days, his concentration became thread-bare, so they’d sit and read something at the back, whether it was their own separate literature or Hermann muttering poetry under his breath, while unbeknownst to him, Newt would listen intently, slouched against the bookshelves.

 The time they spent together eventually bled into the weekends. Slowly but gladly, Hermann  became acquainted with the rest of the gang, as they hung out in Uncle Illia’s workshop on quiet afternoons. In many ways, Mako reminded him of himself; she was quiet and rather detached, until someone brought up a certain matter which she liked which would have her going off on tangents about tangents. He also admired Raleigh’s gentle nature and how he watched out for everybody. Then there was Tendo, Newt's loyal companion and the funniest guy you’ll ever meet. 

He also found out that Newt was an extraordinary worker. The focus he seemed to greatly lack in school was instead poured into mending cars back to health. Those steady hands would nit-pick and find the smallest of faults, which were dealt with within moments. This work had peaked Hermann’s curious mind, so he asked if he could be taken through step-by-step of something simple. With his back on the sliding board and sleeves pushed up to the elbow, he listened carefully to Newt’s instructions. It was as easy as twisting some parts and reconnecting them to the new, but Hermann was ecstatic with the results. He’d been under there longer than expected, his fringe having curled with the efforts of his labour, and streaks of dirt caking on his face. He had to be hustled off to the showers by Newt before he could start planning on taking over his job.

When they had some money spare and were bursting to go out, they went to the local dance hall. Up and coming rock n’ roll bands had a nice little stage to try out their sets, while their captive audience had a spacious wooden floor to dance to their heart’s content. Hermann would stay seated at one of the booths, mostly to talk and poke fun at Tendo's ridiculous dance moves, while he nursed a bottle of Coke. One night, as the evening drew to a close, a vinyl player was set up to play a record "for all the lovebirds out there". After a brief moment of silence, a deep crooning voice began to sing. Hermann's heart jumped to his throat, brimming with joy as he heard his favourite artist. He kept his eyes on his shoes after exchanging a glance with Newt. Subtly, he hummed and swayed along to it in his seat. In his mind’s eye, he could picture dancing with someone on a quiet summer’s night in a cosy kitchen, faint crackles and pops emitting through a radio. 

_ He'll come along someday. _

_______

 

Newt was about to head off to lunch when someone caught his arm.

He turned and sneered. "What do you want, Alice?” He said, shaking himself free from her grasp.

"Only to talk. Can you meet me at the library later? I need to go and speak with a teacher first." Then she was off like a shot, not even giving Newt the chance to reply.

He groaned; Newt did  _ not _ want to see her, let alone talk, but that sobre look in her eyes had got him concerned. He was kind to even give her the time of day but some things needed to be cleared up once and for all.

After much deliberation, Newt went to find her in the library. He poked his head around the back aisle, finding her in what he dubbed Hermann’s Grandpa Chair, before coming into full view.

"Hey Newt," she called out softly, brushing down her blue pleated skirt as she stood. "How've you been?"

Newt inspected her before snapping, "Just cut the bullshit Alice, and gimme your piece."

"Look, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for how Chuck thought it was okay to hurt him- I honestly didn't mean for that to happen!- He just kept on bugging me about what went on in the library, and it just... slipped out. To see him like that I-" she looked up and blinked back tears. "I tried to stop him, I really did. I realise now how wrong that was. You're a better man now, Newt. You made an example out of those lugs and I, for one, want in." Alice moved in on him, backing him up against the aisle.

He felt a lump form in his throat.

He took a small step forward in the space that he was granted. "You're  _ very _ lucky I didn't drop your name in with the rest- don't give me that look, I know you started this- because you know what?" He asked, screwing up his nose, "You're as guilty as your bogus boyfriend. This isn't just about Herms- Hermann- getting hurt, it's about you and your gang starting this, with your damn insults and thinking that you own the place. Don't you get that?"

"I do! I really do!" She pleaded, "He's a sweet guy and in no way do I think he deserved it. I've seen him hanging about with you and I remember now how kind he was. He used to pick up daisies as we sat in fields and put them in my hair; there’s not many boys who would've done the same at his age,” she admitted. “My parents haven't let me see Chuck. With some distance, I’m beginning to see things clearer. So I’m going to finish it as soon as possible. I want to be with  _ you _ , Newt. I want to go back and redo our date, maybe go to a diner or something. Hell, I'd even buy you a milkshake. Just let me back in and I  _ promise _ I'll be good to you." She said all this while tracing her finger tips over his bare arms, which were folded tight across his chest.

They were really close now; his chest panged with nerves.

_ Maybe she's the one that'll do good by me? _

_  Maybe she’ll make me feel something? _

He wanted to speak but his eyes were glued to her lips. All he had to do now was move an inch closer...

"Oh, you dummy," she tittered. Pulling him down by the shoulders, their mouths collided as she kissed him roughly. He hardly had time to realise what was happening when-

"What in  _ the Hell _ are you doing?"

Volumes of books scattered across the floor, each dropping with a resounding  _ thud. _ Hermann just stood there, his face twitching with anger.

Newt immediately turned away, horror-struck, pushing Alice away to get to him. "Hermann it's not what you think. I can explain okay? She's understands-" 

Hermann raised his palm, keeping him at an arm’s length.

“She doesn’t understand anything, and neither do you it seems... You weren’t there to see it...”

He couldn't even look at him. He started to walk away.

"Hermann, please-- hear me out!"

"Leave me alone, Newton!" 

Stares and shushes followed them; Hermann snarled.

"I knew you were just like the rest of them. I can't trust anyone in this wretched town!" he gestured to Newt, then everyone else, with a look of pure disgust.

For a moment, his chest rose and fell, catching up with himself. He gave Newt one last look, turned, then fled.

"Hermann!" He cried out one last time before he was silenced by the librarian, sternly gesturing for him to vacate the premises.

"God, you two really are a thing," Alice muttered, passing Newt. "Chuck owes me big time." She wiped her mouth on her sleeve as she left.

Everybody was glaring at him. He felt like he was suffocating, being dragged underwater in a vice-like grip. Aimlessly, he sprinted about, calling out Hermann’s name across the site like he was a missing dog, until he was at the parking lot gates.

Hermann was nowhere to be seen.

_ Oh my God, I fucked up, I fucked up, I fucked up- _

Newt ran his hands through his hair, breath running ragged.

"I'm so sorry Hermann I didn't mean- she was- it's not-" he tumbled over his words as he tried to stop the flood of tears.

His mind felt like it was tearing itself apart. The echoes of Hermann's voice and the hurt on his face only moments ago was replaying itself over and over.

"Shit, shit,  _ shit! _ " Before he knew it, his foot lifted, kicked, and recoiled in pain as it made a dent in the trunk of a car, which set off an ear-splitting alarm. He hoped this would get him expelled-  _ maybe then I can go work at my Uncle's shop for the rest of my miserable life _ .

Despite the misfortune he wished upon himself, that wasn't going to happen. 

Confused and panicking, Mr Washall came out running to see why his car was making such a racket but the worry vanished when he saw Newt, sitting with his knees pulled up to his chin. He hadn’t even removed himself from the crime scene. Carefully, he knelt down beside him and touched his shoulder.

"What's wrong, Newt?"

He lifted his head and the sobs came to a halt. Quickly, he stood up and wiped away the tears. He smiled like the corners of his mouth were being pulled by strings. "Nothing, just having a regular old mental breakdown in the parking lot, what about you?"

Washall frowned. "You can't keep whatever's upsetting you inside: you're gonna burst. C'mon, let's talk in my car.”

Now knowing the owner of the freshly damaged car, Newt's stomach twisted in guilt. Once  seated, Newt lifted his knees to his chin again, hiding his face. He worried the inside of his cheek to distract from the sting of tears.

“Excuse the mess, I don't usually have any passengers." He reached into his pocket and handed Newt today’s handkerchief, which was a soft blue cotton.

Then the dam broke.

 He curled up in his seat and sobbed, digging his nails into the squeaky leather material.

 "I fucked up Sir,” he stuttered, “I fucked up  _ so _ bad!" 

"It's okay, Newt. It's okay," he repeated this softly while rubbing his back.

After running himself ragged, the sobbing gradually shifted into a sniffle. He fidgeted with his glasses; the black plastic was still badly scuffed and a lense was fractured on one side from where Chuck had slammed him into the concrete. He found himself telling Mr Washall everything.

“I don’t think I can salvage it this time. I don't know where he is, I don't know how to explain it to him... he was so  _ upset.  _ He said I was just like the rest of them, and that he couldn't trust anyone here- but he had trusted  _ me _ ! And I broke that!" Newt gestured emphatically.”I’m such an idiot. She’d been playing me this whole time."

 He was starting to feel breathless again.

"I know that you didn't mean it," Mr Washall said. "I mean, you’re a good kid and obviously, you care about Hermann-  _ this _ is evidence enough. But if I'm right, which is like... 89% of the time, I'd say you guys can make up.”

"You really think I can just waltz up to him and apologise? This is  _ Hermann-freaking-Gottlieb  _ were talking about: saying sorry doesn't exactly work twice," Newt huffed.

Mr Washall paused, then asked: "How did you start talking to Hermann?”

"Well, I needed to get better grades in Physics, so I paid him to teach me. I didn't like him at first but then but we got to know each other. We became... more."

"The first year I had him, I didn’t hear a peep from him. It takes a special kind of person for him to come out of his shell, and you’ve shown him that he can be himself around you. That Hansen kid would still be making his life Hell if it wasn't for you. So, as long as you are real with him, he’ll see that...He means a lot to you, doesn't he?"

"He means so much to me, Sir… and I don't know how to deal w-with  _ that! _ " He knocked his fist against his chest, right above his heart.

"Then you need to talk to him. Not right now, but when you can express yourself to him clearly. When that time comes, you’ll know what to do.”

Newt nodded and turned back to looking at him through the wing mirror. It was silent again. The few students that had seen him in the parking lot weren't paying attention anymore. 

"Sir?" The question lingered. "Is it true that you like guys?"

"Yes, I do." 

Newt’s mouth twitched from side to side. "Okay… what's it feel like?"

"It feels... warm. It's like nothing you've ever felt, or thought you felt, for a girl before. You feel this need to reach out and touch them, but when you're close, it's like your stomach's on fire. Sure, that settles after a while- the nerves, the butterflies- but it never fades. It's in those quiet moments, when you can look each other in the eye and think,"Wow, why did I ever think that this could be wrong?""

Newt scratched his stubble, deep in thought. "I... I've never felt like that for a girl before. I mean I’ve dated some, I’ve liked them but... It's not-It’s not like how you describe it- that butterfly stuff. I mean, if I was to feel love, surely that's how I'd feel around a girl. ” 

Newt was feeling uneasy again.

Mr Washall leaned over and opened the glovebox. Some Tootsie Rolls were stashed in there, which he handed over to the boy.

"Love is a complicated thing- it doesn't feel the same for everyone, nor is it expressed in the same way. Do you think you've felt something for a boy?"

Newt popped a candy into his mouth. "Maybe... Maybe I have." 

"Either way, I'm proud of you. It's not easy coming to terms with all of love’s forms at any age." Mr Washall looked at the time and pulled a face. "I’m sorry but I better get going: I have a class to teach this period... do you feel better now?"

Newt nodded, finally unravelling and stretching his limbs. “I do a bit." He took another sweet. "Can I... I mean, would I be asking too much if you could help me to make things right again with Hermann?"

"Not at all. What do you have in mind?"

"Okay, so I know you’ve lent him some poetry books so I wanna know what I could get for him as an apology."

Grabbing his shoulder, Mr Washall looked him dead in the eye and said:

”Son, you’ve come to the right place."

_________

 

Once Newt got out of his car, he jumped on his motorbike,feeling determined as ever. After a half hour drive, he came to an old bookshop on the outskirts of town. It was run by a friend of Washall’s, who Newt asked for the book and bought, sure that it was the perfect choice for Hermann. The guy even directed him a few more books from the same poet.

Minutes turned into hours until he realised that he’d spent most of the evening there, reading whatever grabbed his interest, when the manager came by to tell him he was closing for the night.

He started up his motorbike and made his way to Hermann’s. There, under a lamppost, he waited for the house to go dark. There was only one room with its light on, which was the room above a porch. He could only hope that it was Hermann’s, otherwise Dr Shit-Father was about to get the shock of his life.

He climbed up the laddered side of the porch, then grabbing the edge of the roof, lifted himself up and shuffled across it towards the window. Under his knees, he felt two of the tiles begin to slip. Quickly, he reached out and grabbed the edge of the window, just as the tiles slipped and fell with a crack. In front, he could see through a sliver in the curtains. Curled up on the bed, it looked as though Hermann was trying to get to sleep. He looked back at his bike for a moment before taking a deep breath and rapping his knuckles against the window.

“Hermann?”

Confused and half asleep, Hermann mumbled a hello, before padding to the window.

 "Hermann, it's Newt." 

The curtains drew back sharply.

Needless to say, Hermann was still angry- but he had to keep quiet. "What are you doing here? How-" he realized how he’d gotten to the window- "You could've hurt yourself or even worse, damaged the roof.”

He didn’t want to give Hermann another reason to add to his list of  ‘Why Hermann Gottlieb Will Hate Newton Geiszler For Eternity’ so he decided (in his best interest) not to tell him about the tiles.

"Look I've only come here to talk. Can I come in, please?”

"Why? I think you made it clear who your friends are.” Hermann pursed his lips. If not for the cane, his arm would’ve been folded.

 "No, you’ve got it all wrong. Hermann, I-I didn't know that she was gonna kiss me. I don't like her -Hell I even hate her-  she just forced herself on me, and I didn’t know what to do, and then you came. She must’ve known you’d be there to see it,” Newt explained. “I'm sorry. I fucked up. Big time." Newt raised his hands in defense. "Look, can I come in? I’m starting to slip here.”

Hermann reluctantly did so. There was a long sturdy desk underneath the window, so it stopped Newt from crashing to the floor (like the massive klutz he is) when he came in.

"How do I know you're telling the truth?” Hermann said once Newt was sat down at his desk. “Everyone can lie, Newton, and it’s easy enough to trick people when they trust you. You've been lying to me all this time and I never even noticed.” His energy was wearing thin. He leaned heavily on his cane, looking at Newt with daggers in his eyes.

"I'm not lying, Hermann. I’m being 100% honest with you. Are you gonna listen to me? Because if not, if you want me to leave and-" he lowered his gaze- " and never... ever talk to you again, I’ll do it. Whatever makes you happy, I’ll do it."

He swallowed, making his Adam's apple move north, then south. "You've played with my heart, Newton. I wouldn't be able to stand it if I just- just made a fool of myself again." Like it was back at the library, his chest began to heave. The sight of Newton looking so vulnerable in front of him-so  _ open _ \- it made him feel sick. You could’ve put a mirror in front of him and he wouldn't have noticed any difference.

That’s what made Hermann move closer to him and raise his hand, his face twisted with fury.   
It didn't move.

It didn't strike.

It clenched into a fist and he bit into it, trying to hold back his tears.

Newt delicately lowered the fist.

"Don't- please don't do that to yourself,” he whispered, his voice low and strangled. “I don’t want you to get hurt anymore.” He got Hermann to sit down before he told him all about his past with Chuck.

 “...In the end, I just couldn’t do it anymore. He thought I was weak and he wanted to hurt me even more, through hurting you. Alice wasn’t even interested in me in the first place. It was all a trap, I'm sure of it.” He looked up to see Hermann still staring blankly. “I'm so sorry I got you tangled up in my shitshow of a life." 

Hermann screwed his eyes shut for a moment.

"But what if this happens again? You might find another girl with the same opinion of me, and you’ll leave me behind. You said it yourself: I’m incapable of loving another human being, so I think it’s best you chase after someone who can. We may as well prevent any more heartache, while I still have time to forget you." Hermann shook his head and sniffed. "Thank you for trying to make things up to me but this isn’t going to work."

"Well  _ actually _ , I don’t think I’ll be seeing a new girl: they’re not my type.”

_ There, I said it. _

Hermann blinked like tail lights flickering on a broken car.

"Are you trying to say you're-?" Hermann pointed to himself then made a vague gesture.

  
_ This can't be real. He's toying with me... Is he? _

"Yeah. I just realized, thanks to Mr Washall. He-I talked to him today and he’s put some things into perspective."

Hermann suppressed a laugh. The melancholy of his heart was finally lifting. "That's- I'm glad for you...” He leaned forward and asked, “Does he still have those Tootsie Rolls in the glove box?"

"Yes!" 

Suddenly remembering, he pulled out the book from his inside jacket. "Hold on I-I got this for you, as an apology."

The front cover was a vibrant green, with vines decorating its edges. On the inside,a note had been written, which said:

_ I hope this book makes you feel as happy as you make me. _

Hermann stared at the book and back to Newt, then quickly pulled him into a hug. They grinned over each other's shoulders.

"Apology accepted, you absolute fool."

"So, we're all good now?"

"Yes, yes of course," Hermann was still smiling when they pulled back. He laid the gift on his bed and patted its cover.

"Come and join me on the roof." He was looking through the open window with a gleam in his eye.

"You sure? Cause uh, I've already climbed your house, I’d do it again, but isn't it dangerous for you?"

"Maybe, but that doesn't stop me from doing it when I need to smoke late at night.” Without further ado, Hermann climbed up on the desk and went legs first through the window. 

Looking at him, Newt was wearing a somewhat dazed expression.   
"Scaredy-cat," Hermann teased as his body slipped into the blackness of the night. 

Newt followed him soon after. With careful footing, he stepped on the window ledge and pulled himself to the top. On the roof, he raised his head and gazed at the stars with a smile.

"You're not as slick as you think, Geiszler: I saw those missing tiles." he looked at him sternly, trying not to laugh at the shit-scared expression he pulled. 

“No worries, I’ll clear it up in the morning before he’s up. It’s happened before.” He leaned back with his knees bent and arms crossed over his chest. Above, the stars were within their multitudes, like thousands of tiny pin holes of light seeping through black paper.

Newt lay close to Hermann, their shoulders just about touching.

“”A leaf of grass is no less than the journey-work of stars.””

Newt snorted."That is  _ so _ you to quote Walt Whitman." 

Hermann’s head whipped round as he asked him how he knew, so Newt told him about the bookshop.

 "Oh, how the student becomes the teacher."

Newt scoffed. "Please, I would never pretend to be on the same level as you, man." 

Hermann returned his gaze to the stars and sighed. The tiles were digging into his back, and his leg hurt like hell, but he wasn’t planning on moving any time soon.

Newt wasn’t finding it very comfortable either, but he felt quite relaxed. It was as if time had paused for only them in just that very moment, the air quiet and still.   
He propped himself up on his elbows, turning to Hermann who was still lost in the stars.   
"I have to admit... I didn't just come to apologize. I have something else to say."

Newt took in a deep breath. 

"I’m in love with you." 

Hermann's mouth parted. Slowly, he moved to cup Newt’s face in his cold hands. Underneath, his could feel the prickly stubble on his palms and bumps of acne, which he glided his thumbs over, back and forth.

"I've never felt something this strong before,” Newt continued, “For anyone, in fact.” He slid his hands over Hermann's. "You just make me so happy."

Their faces were close. That little voice in Newt's head told him it was now or never and thank God he listened. 

When he closed the distance, their lips met with an infinite softness. They brushed gently, like a fleeting touch from a stranger, until one of Hermann's hands clasped to the back of Newt's head and kept him in place. He could feel Hermann smile into the kiss and couldn't care less that their lips were chapped or how he had to contort his body to reach him.

It was a perfect first kiss.

Newt’s hands ran through Hermann's hair, ruffling it gently, before letting them rest on the sides of his neck. He felt as if he was about to explode.

Panting with his eyes still shut, Hermann rested his forehead against his.

"You’ve really have done a number on me, haven’t you?... I love you more than words can say, dear boy.”

Newt felt the bubble of joy expand in his chest as he tenderly held Hermann's face. He began to laugh, but barely had the time to do so as it was muffled by Hermann’s hand.

"Sorry, but we need to be quiet in case my father wakes up."

“Oh yeah, because he’d definitely climb up on the roof and chuck me off when he sees me.”

 "Wait, shouldn't you be home by now? Your uncle is going to be worried sick." 

"This is  _ so _ worth it. A slap from my uncle is nothing compared to what I’d endure for you, doll."

Even under the stars, he could tell that Hermann’s face had gone bright red.

"Like your uncle would ever hurt you. Now, stop acting like such a Romeo and get on your goddamn motorcycle." He lifted one of Newt’s hands to his lips and while looking him in the eye, planted a kiss on it. It was now Newt’s turn to go red.

 Once Hermann was inside, Newt got down and crouched, poking his head through the open window. Hermann was kneeling on his desk, staring deeply into his eyes; Newt felt like he could drown in them. He lifted up his chin and kissed him. 

"I'll see you tomorrow, doll." He winked then carefully made his way down. In the street, he waved Hermann goodbye and blew a kiss. As he steered out of sight, Hermann stood there at the window, dazed and dumbstruck, tracing his own lips with the pad of his index finger.

\--------

Newt enjoyed the brisk cool winds as he drove. His mind and body was floating, as if a part of himself was still there on the roof. 

Luckily for him, the light was still on in the kitchen. 

He entered the garage, parking up as quietly as possible. There was no way of avoiding the kitchen so he hoped he’d just fell asleep waiting for him.

Another strike of good luck.

Fingers drumming against the deck chair, Uncle Illia looked at him with an exasperated expression.

"Where have you been, young man?" He was trying to sound stern, but as always, it didn’t sound right coming from his mouth.

Newt stopped in his tracks, winced, and turned to face him. "I was out, getting some fresh air: I’ve had a pretty rough day and I'm  _ very _ tired now, so I'm gonna go to bed."

"Nope! You come back here right now, Newton, and you’re going to tell me where you’ve been all evening."

Newt sauntered towards him and plopped himself on the other deck chair. His uncle returned his gaze with an arched brow, expecting an answer.

"Look I already told you, I was out getting some air."  Newt bit the inside of his cheek, feeling his ears getting warmer (they always did that when he was lying).

"C'mon, kid, you haven’t stayed out this late since, well,  _ those _ days... Tendo and the others came back here, asking me where you’d run off to, whether you’d felt sick and came home during lunch. They were worried too, hearing that you’d been running around like a headless chicken." Illia sighed. "Please. I don't want you getting into anymore trouble."

"I'm not in any kind of trouble, you can relax. It’s just that... I can't tell you."

"Why not?”

“Well, I might do someday. All I can say is that I’m happy. I’m so damn happy I could burst.” 

His uncle got up from his chair and pulled him up a hug.

"Then I’m happy too. It’s fine, Newt. Everything's fine."

Newt just stared. Eventually, he nodded, looking back at him with a soft smile before making his way upstairs.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So about the whole Wednesday uploads- I'm sorry about the break, a lot of things needed editing and improving, but the next and final chapter will be out next week.


	6. Not Too Young to Know

The next day, Hermann made a beeline for the school library. At her desk, Mrs Fennel was pouring over a book, with her glasses perched at the end of her nose.

She gave a yelp of surprise at seeing Hermann -he had slipped in rather quietly-, which quickly morphed into a scowl. "Mister Gottlieb, what are you doing here in  _ my _ library? After yesterday's debacle, I thought I wouldn't have to tell you that you are no longer welcome here.”

"Yes, and I'm sorry for that. You know…” Hermann sighed, looking around the room, “This is my favourite place and I am going to miss it dearly when the time comes. Yesterday... that fight wasn't meant to happen. I got caught up in some drama and lost my temper, that’s all. I promise you it won’t happen again.”

From his bag, Hermann pulled out a box of chocolates and placed it on her desk.

"All I want to say is thank you. It hasn’t been very easy for me these past few years, but this is one of the places I feel like I can actually breathe."

With a prolonged sigh, she folded up her glasses, which rested on her chain. 

"Fine, you can come back to the library. Even that friends of yours, the greaser one with glasses." 

Hermann smiled. “Newton Geiszler, yes. Thank you, Miss." 

After exchanging curt goodbyes, he left and made his way to first period.

________

 

Once Hermann set out his things, he turned to the window to indulge in the warm sunlight. Despite the forecast for rain, the weather had changed for the better. A pleasant heat had dusted off the bothersome chill of the classrooms. Hermann had even dared to wear a light blue button-up and fitted black trousers.

Newt spotted Hermann at the doorway. If they had been alone, he would’ve whistled and flirted with him to no end. He took the desk beside him.

"Heya Herms,” he said, cocking his head to the side, “you doing alright?”

“Better than ever, thank you. It seems as if I’ve woken up with a smile glued to my face. My father was greatly unsettled by it.”

“Ah,” Newt chuckled, “I was just going to ask if perhaps your dad, y’know-”

“Not at all, but my mood has surely got on his nerves,”He broke off into a chuckle, high and giddy.

Newt joined in, but went quiet as Mr Washall entered the classroom.

He nodded to them and smiled at their shining faces before catching the class’s attention. He didn't scold them for passing notes during the lesson, and he definitely didn’t notice when they had shuffled their desks closer to hold hands underneath.

________

“We should tell them,” Newt whispered while pulling a thread from Hermann’s Grandpa chair. He folded the corner of his page before replying.

“Well they’re your friends, you should do it.” 

“Herms, they’re  _ our  _ friends. You matter to them, and I don’t want to tell them alone, like it’s a shameful secret. How about I tell everyone to meet up at my place after school, and we can tell them. Together.” 

“I don’t know- are you sure about this? Aren’t we just making too much of a fuss? It hasn’t even been a week since -you know-” Hermann narrowly avoided using words like ‘kiss’ or ‘rooftop love confessions’, because even thinking about that night made him blush.

“Well, I mean you’re not wrong. Maybe it is kinda soon.” Newt ran a hand through his hair, as though to help ease his words out. “It’s just, I’ve just never been so sure about something before. Y’know, if it were up to me, I’d be yelling it from the rooftops.” 

That earned him a snort. “I know you would, dear, and I know how important it is for you to be honest with your friends. It’s just- I hope they take it well, that’s all.”

“They will. Trust me on this.” Newt reached out and clasped Hermann’s hand, giving it a quick, reassuring squeeze.

And so, after school, they waited for everyone to arrive at Newt's house. Hermann was pacing his room while Newt kept telling him to sit down and- "relax, Herms, there's no need to start a marathon right now."

When he had exhausted the last of his nerves, he sat by Newt and reached for his hand again, making a steady rhythm of squeezes to keep his mind occupied.

The gang arrived within minutes of each other; they'd gone by Joe's diner after school and even bought Newt and Hermann back some food. Once everyone had settled down  on Newt's bed, the couple got to their feet. Newt cleared his voice, breaking the chatter.

"So, uh we called this meeting today because-"

"This isn't a meeting, Newton, don't be so dramatic-"

"Okay! I've called you all here since-"

" _ We've  _ called you here because, well…"

"We have something we want to tell you-" 

"It's nothing too important! We just thought we should let you know-"

"Hermann, this is important, like c'mon-"

"Holy Mother of God!" Tendo burst out. "We  _ know _ , okay? We know you two are dating. You haven't exactly been subtle, dancing around each other all the time and then sneaking off upstairs together, whenever Hermann here gets some dirt on his collar." 

Raleigh and Mako nodded in agreement.

"And seriously," Tendo continued, a smile creeping up on his face," you two have  _ me  _ to thank for because if I hadn't have convinced this lughead to ask you for help, God knows where you'd be."

The three of them exchanged glances, then broke into laughter.

“Okay,okay. Thanks dude. I mean it,” Newt was wrapped in a hug from Tendo. The others followed, circling their arms around the couple.

________

That night, the dance floor was  _ packed  _ ; school was finally over for the class of ‘52 were out for a well-deserved graduation party. A sticky warmth permeated the air, so coats and leather jackets were left on the back of chairs . Everywhere was a bright sea of fabric; beautiful polka dot dresses and frills floated about mid-air as they were twirled, while the guys in denim jumped and hopped about with their sweethearts. Hermann was thoroughly entranced by it all, as he was every time he came. His heart thumped, with his feet were itching to move.

During a lull in the music, Newt came over and necked his drink before sliding up next to Hermann. “How ya doing, doll?” He winked.

“Marvellous, thank you.” Hermann swore he’d never get used to him calling him doll: something priceless, porcelain, pretty-  _ but fragile. _

“What’s wrong?” Newt frowned which mirrored Hermann’s glum expression.

“I want to dance.”

“Well, come on then Herms, let’s cut a rug and show these lot how it’s done!” Newt clapped and rubbed his hands together.

“But it’s not like I can keep up with the dances. It’s too quick, and there’s soo many moves I doubt I could keep track,” Hermann sighed. 

“Hey,I can go slow for you.You don’t have to push yourself,” Newt said sincerely. “We’re all here to have a good time and you deserve to be apart of that.”

Something Mr Washall had said a long time ago echoed in Hermann’s mind: “You deserve to have more fun than anybody, kid. Life can be downright wretched, so take all the joy you can get.”

“Ok, I’ll give it a try for your sake.” 

Newt was quick on his feet and pulling Hermann by the hand before he could change his mind.

They found a space with the rest of the gang, who were happy to see Hermann join in on the festivities. They danced about in a bit of a circle, legs kicking up and jiving to the beat. It took him a while to get used to, but Newt was there to keep him steady. Once he was in the rhythm, everything seemed to flow gracefully. 

Then the music changed: it was a much slower tempo and a deep voice was crooning through the speakers. Tendo scuttled off to find his girl. Mako and Raleigh were instantly hand in hand, her head resting in the crook of his neck, swaying gently; Hermann watched them fondly.

_ Because you’re mine _

_ The brightest star I see looks down my love and envies me _

_ Because you’re mine _

Newt didn’t let go of his hand. Instead he set Hermann’s cane aside, took his free hand and got him to step on his steel-toe work boots. They supported Hermann's weight perfectly and made his lips level to his forehead, which made it all the more tempting to kiss. Apart from trying not to fall, Hermann didn't have to do a thing. It truly felt like walking on air.

_ Because you’re mine _

_ The breeze that hurries by _

_ Becomes a melody... _

_ And when we kiss, _

_ That isn’t thunder, dear _

_ It’s only my poor heart you hear... _

 


	7. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A domestic scene set a decade later.

_ 1962, a cozy house in southwest London _   
  
  


Warm orange wallpaper adorned their small hallway, heading towards the spacious kitchen. He passed framed photographs of many lovely memories that the last decade had granted him. Taking off his shoes and hanging up his coat, he approached the door to the kitchen and peered through the colourful stained glass.

Through it he could see the outline of a man with his head bowed. There was the tell-tale soapy squeaking of plates, trickling of water and clinking of cutlery. On the radio, sweet music played. 

"I heard you come in, dear," he called out in a melodic voice."There's no point sneaking up on me."

He leaned against the door frame, folding his arms and pouting like a child.

"I'm not sneaking up on you,” Newt objected. “Just appreciating the view." He came over to rest a hand on the counter-top, while the other combed through his husband’s hair. Over the years, Hermann had let it grow, which made it much more soft and wavy at the back. Newt  _ loved  _ it. 

Hermann rolled his eyes, revelling at the comforting weight of Newt’s head on his shoulder. From the window, he could see the garden glowing in the last hour of sunlight. Rows of daffodils peeked out from the ground, along with sweet peas and violets. Running around the garden, a small still nameless puppy was yapping and chasing its tail in circles.

“You’re going to have to walk him later. I’m afraid he hasn’t taken to my company yet.” Newt could hear the pout in his voice.

“Oh, he will, don’t worry. Everyone does eventually,” he said, nipping at his ear.   
Hermann began to sway his hips to the music and guided Newt's hands to his waist, releasing a care-free sigh.

They went at their own pace. Angling Hermann’s head, Newt kissed his lover lightly along whatever patch of skin he could catch above his collar.

_ Yet were not too young to know _ __   
_ This love will last though years may go _ __   
_ And then some day they may recall _ _   
_ __ We were not too young at all...

 

When the song ended, Hermann melted into the embrace. He craned his neck up to allow Newt to leave a trail of kisses upon his throat, grazing his teeth along the soft skin.

He felt like this was his place in the world. This was where he was meant to be, and he knew that Hermann felt the same.

In a barely audible whisper, Newt spoke: ''And your very flesh shall be a great poem."

 

_ The End _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, thank you all for reading and waiting for me to finally post these last two chapters- the weekly update idea definitely went out the window! It's been so much fun seeing this grow from a seedling of idea to a fully published work, and my longest one at that. Now that summers over, I'm not sure how much time I can put towards writing but I have plenty of ideas for the future. Once again, a special thanks to Ari (kaijuboob) for betaing this fic and to Saul (vitamine-dude) for being such a great writer, friend and rp companion. Till next time, cheerio!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed it! This fics been in the works for like six months now, and like assassins au (which i highly recommend you check out if you haven't already), started out as an idea between me and Zaneey. The rest of the chapters are almost finished, so I will be uploading a new one every Wednesday. Subscribe to keep informed folks! And don't forget that kudos and comment while you're here!
> 
> Also, a big shout out to kaijuboob on tumblr for going over this with me. Ya lit b


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